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Kalinga War: Ashoka's Turning Point

The Kalinga war was a bloody conflict between the Mauryan Empire led by Ashoka and the powerful state of Kalinga. According to Ashoka's edicts, over 100,000 people were killed and many more died or were captured in the war. The extreme violence of the war had a profound effect on Ashoka and prompted him to adopt a policy of non-violence and devote himself to spreading Buddhism. While this brought peace to the empire in the short term, it weakened the military in the long run and contributed to the eventual fall of the Mauryan Empire.

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461 views2 pages

Kalinga War: Ashoka's Turning Point

The Kalinga war was a bloody conflict between the Mauryan Empire led by Ashoka and the powerful state of Kalinga. According to Ashoka's edicts, over 100,000 people were killed and many more died or were captured in the war. The extreme violence of the war had a profound effect on Ashoka and prompted him to adopt a policy of non-violence and devote himself to spreading Buddhism. While this brought peace to the empire in the short term, it weakened the military in the long run and contributed to the eventual fall of the Mauryan Empire.

Uploaded by

Olivia Ray
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Kalinga War

The Kalinga war was a conflict between the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka and the state of Kalinga.
Kalinga comprises present day states of Odisha and south-eastern Andhra Pradesh.

As per available information, it was one of the deadliest conflicts in ancient India and the scale of the
violence prompted Asoka to give up military conquests for the foreseeable future.

The Kalinga War is an important topic in the Ancient Indian History segment of the IAS Exam.

Background of the Kalinga War


The Mauryan Empire by the time of Chandragupta Maurya’s passing had comprised most of
modern-day India with its southern reaches and Kalinga remaining independent.

Kalinga had a sound geographical location with trade routes leading to Southeast Asia. It had many
important ports and a strong navy. A powerful state on the fringes of the Mauryan Empire would be
problematic as it could disrupt the communication lines between the Mauryan capital of Pataliputra and
its holdings in the central Indian peninsula.

Kalinga was once under the rule of the Nanda Empire until it fell in 321 BC. Chandragupta Maurya had
tried to conquer the state, but failed to do so. His grandson Ashoka would continue the conquest of
Kalinga upon coming to the throne.

Facts about the Kalinga War

● The panic of war completely changed the personality of Ashoka. He felt great regret for the
killings of the war. He left the policy of aggression and adopted the policy for the welfare of
people and animals.

● Ashoka sent ambassadors of peace to the Greek kingdoms in west Asia and several other
countries.

Events of the Kalinga War

There are limited sources about the exact nature and events about the Kalinga War. What can be
ascertained is that the level of violence and casualties were proportionally high. As per the Rock Edicts
of Ashoka, one lakh people were killed in this war, several lakhs perished and a lakh and a half were
taken prisoners.
Although the numbers may seem like an exaggeration, it can be determined that the war had a lasting
impact on Kalinga. Although it is not known exactly when the war began, it was completed in the 8th
year of Ashoka’s reign in 261 BC.

According to Megasthenes, the Greek historian at the court of Chandragupta Maurya, the ruler of
Kalinga had a powerful army comprising infantry, cavalry and elephants.

Aftermath of the Kalinga War


The Kalinga War had a profound effect on Ashoka. Most probably in the annals of ancient Indian
history, it is the only war which led to a would-be conqueror to give up his sword.

The Kalinga War prompted Ashoka, already a non-engaged Buddhist, to devote the rest of his life to
ahimsa (non-violence) and to dharma-Vijaya (victory through dharma). Following the conquest of
Kalinga, Ashoka ended the military expansion of the empire and began an era of more than 40 years of
relative peace, harmony, and prosperity.

While in the short-run Ashoka’s policy of peace brought harmony to the empire, in the long run it
crippled its ability to defend itself from external threats. The long neglect of the army under Ashoka
would be one of the factors that led to the eventual fall of the Mauryan Empire following his death in
232 BC

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