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How many Major Rock Edicts of Ashoka are there?
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Answer: Option B — 14
Detailed Solution
There are 14 Major Rock Edicts of Ashoka, which are found as a set at several places across his empire.
About the Major Rock Edicts:
- They were inscribed on large rocks, mainly at the borders of the empire and at important places.
- They contain Ashoka's main messages about Dhamma, his administration, and his policies.
- At some places, the set has minor variations, or some edicts are replaced by separate edicts.
Places where Major Rock Edicts are found:
- Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra (Pakistan).
- Kalsi (Uttarakhand).
- Girnar (in western India).
- Sopara (Maharashtra).
- Yerragudi (Andhra Pradesh).
- Dhauli and Jaugada (Odisha); at these two places, Major Rock Edicts XI, XII and XIII are replaced by two "Separate Edicts" (Kalinga Edicts), which tell the officials of Kalinga to treat the people well.
- Sannati (Karnataka).
- Kandahar (Afghanistan), in a different form.
Contents of some Major Rock Edicts:
- I: prohibition of animal sacrifice and some festivals.
- II: medical facilities for humans and animals; mentions the Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras, Keralaputras and Tamraparni.
- III: officials to tour every five years.
- IV: the sound of the drum (bheri-ghosha) replaced by the sound of Dhamma (dhamma-ghosha).
- VI: the king is always ready to hear reports on public affairs.
- VII: tolerance among all sects.
- IX: criticism of useless ceremonies.
- XI: explanation of Dhamma.
- XII: tolerance; respect for all sects.
- XIII: the Kalinga war and conquest by Dhamma; mentions Greek kings.
- XIV: the purpose of the edicts.
Other categories of Ashoka's edicts:
- Minor Rock Edicts: found at many places, including in Karnataka.
- Seven Pillar Edicts: the Delhi-Topra pillar has all seven.
Why not the other options?
- ✗10 and 16 are not the number of Major Rock Edicts.
- ✗Good to know
- ✗Seven is the number of Pillar Edicts.
Quick tip
Remember: 14 Major Rock Edicts; 7 Pillar Edicts (Delhi-Topra has all seven); Kalinga (Separate) Edicts at Dhauli and Jaugada; MRE XIII = Kalinga war.
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Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the sixteen Mahajanapadas, the rise of Magadha under the Haryanka, Shishunaga and Nanda dynasties, Alexander's invasion, and the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka, including Mauryan administration, Ashoka's dhamma and his edicts. Questions often ask about the capital of a Mahajanapada, the founder of a dynasty, or details of Ashoka's rule, such as the Kalinga war and his rock and pillar edicts. Key sources include Kautilya's Arthashastra and Megasthenes' Indica. James Prinsep first deciphered Ashoka's Brahmi inscriptions in 1837. Practise the Mahajanapadas and Mauryan Empire questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.