The Mauryan emperor Ashoka (r. 269–32 B.C.E.) commissioned a collection of inscriptions.
The inscriptions included formal royal policy statements as
well as advice and instructions to his subjects on a number of subjects,
including religious tolerance.
In general, the rock edicts were carved into massive
boulders or rock faces near the Mauryan Empire's frontiers, thereby
symbolically marking the empire's bounds.
Even though various instances of these edicts were located
in widely distant regions, the language remained largely consistent across the
empire.
The pillar edicts, the second main type of Ashokan
inscriptions, were engraved on polished Chunar sandstone pillars and placed along
the empire's important highways, where they would have been visible to
pedestrians.
Discover more about Hindu Art, Architecture, and Iconography here.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
