Who amongst the following also had the name ‘Devanama Piya dassi’?
(A) Mauryan King Ashoka
(B) Mauryan King Chandra-gup ta Maurya
(C) Gautam Buddha
(D) Bhagwan Mahavira
Answer: (A) The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India, Ne pal and Pakistan and represent the first tangible evidence of Buddhism. In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to himself as “Beloved of the Gods” and “King Priya-darshi.” The identification of King Priya-dashi with Ashoka was confirmed by an inscription discovered in 1915 by C. Beadon at Maski, the village in Raichur district of Karnataka. Another minor rock edict is found at the village of Gujarat in the Datia district of Madhya Pradesh. This also shows the Name “Asoka” in addition to the usual “Devanam Piyadasi”.
