Ashoka Vardhana, the third Mauryan emperor (the first great unified empire of India), has gone down in history for converting to Buddhism after witnessing the massacres resulting from the campaign he ...

Women held an important place in Mauryan history, but their stories are rarely highlighted in historical texts, stated author Devika Rangachari, in conversation with Eric Chopra, on Sunday. The ...

Gaps in our knowledge of the ancient world practically force authors to construct their arguments with doubtful materials. So much has been lost, and what sources remain must be handled with care and ...

Patrick Olivelle’s new book, Ashoka: Portrait of a Philosopher King, on the Mauryan emperor views him purely as a historical figure, without the myths – using only the ancient emperor’s own ...

The reading list this week includes Colleen Taylor Sen’s exploration of the life, achievements and legacy of Emperor Ashoka, Seema Sirohi’s look at how and why India has become the fashionable new ...

Derived from the Sanskrit word "jina," meaning "to conquer," Jainism teaches that all life forms have an eternal soul bound by karma in a never-ending cycle of rebirth. Through nonviolence or ahimsa, ...