Indian Rulers
Ashoka
the Great
Ashoka was an Indian emperor active in the 3rd c. BC during the Maurya period from the state of Maurya. Died of natural causes.
Historical Note
Conquered Kalinga (261 BC) at the cost of 100,000 dead and was so sickened by the carnage that he converted to Buddhism and ruled by dharma. Sent missions as far as Greece and Sri Lanka, carved his edicts onto rocks and pillars across India — the first welfare state in human history.