Ashokan Edict Delhi

Ashokan Edict Delhi

The Ashokan Edict in Delhi is one of the innumerable ancient structures that are scattered across the city. The Edict of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka rests in the city holding up the philosophy and ideals that mark the ancient regime. Dating back to the 3rd century, the pillar is steeped in history, inviting its visitors to unravel the tales of a bygone era.

The Ashokan Edict in Delhi had actually been housed in Meerut from where it was transported to Delhi in 1356 as Feroze Shah Tughlaq sought to add the pillar to his collection. The pillar was initially placed near the Tughlaq emperor’s hunting lodge by the Yamuna River. It has since then been a prized possession of Delhi, standing till date to narrate the essence of Ashoka’s rule. The edict is basically a sandstone structure which rises to 14 feet. The pillar had been smashed to pieces by an explosion in 1713 and it was not before a century that the pillar was restored back to its original shape. The edict now stands in Raja Dhirshain Marg in Srinivaspuri, drawing a number of visitors to the historic monument.

The Ashokan Edict is inscribed in a pillar which bears in ten lines, the emperor’s appeal to his subjects. The edict in Brahmi script holds up Ashoka’s ideals of non violence as the emperor pledges to his subjects to lead a life of virtue and truth. As the entire Mauryan empire believed in a pious and righteous life, the edict declares all the subjects to be better human beings altogether. The inscriptions on the edict are therefore a vital testimony to the philosophy that marked the period. The Ashokan Edict of Delhi owes a special credit as it proves the presence of Mauryan influence in this part of the subcontinent. As the edict had been found in Meerut, it manifests that the region had been under the sway of the Mauryan domination in the 3rd century.

The Ashokan Edict is placed in a convenient location near the Old Delhi Railway Station and the Kashmiri Gate Metro Station, thus making it easy for the tourists to travel here.

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