Talk:Ashoka

Is ashoka established kashmir?

Some publications say Ashoka samrat estd shrinagri(srinagar) And some says kashmir , but what is the right info can anybody please provide right info about that. Bmx aditya (talk) 03:45, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

Utcursch and reliable sources

Sorry, Utcursch, your POV is disturbing. Here's a lesson you need if you're going to continue to edit Buddhist related pages on Wikipedia: Buddhist scholars are the best sources for history on Buddhism. Why? A Tibetan Khenpo has studied Buddhism for 23 years before they are tested and pass their exams, receiving the title of Khenpo. The title of the source here is Khenchen (great Khenpo) whose page on Wikipedia states he was considered the highest Nyingma School scholar of his day. His published scholarly work on the history of Ashoka is actually the most reliable source on the Ashoka page, given his scholarly credentials and education. He has written based on valid Tibetan historical texts, dating from the early Nyingma school's period. You said as an excuse for deleting a valid edit based on this source that,"A Buddhist religious leader is not a great source for a history-related article;". I'm embarassed for you. Will you please re-correct the misinformation on this page? 2400:1A00:B040:FE04:53D7:7B15:58F9:6614 (talk) 11:28, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

No, they won't; we rely on secondary and tertiairy sources, not on primary sources. Joshua Jonathan - Let's talk! 11:40, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 August 2024

I want to edit the page of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the great and provide it with all necessary royal titles of the emperor which are missing here 2A00:20:B28E:16BF:2655:2CEF:4C16:BB5E (talk) 20:47, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. — DaxServer (t·m·e·c) 20:53, 5 August 2024 (UTC)

did the great buddhist king Asoka persecute his hindu subjects for their religious beliefs? ~2025-33390-50 (talk) 04:13, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

See WP:FORUM. Chronos.Zx (talk) 05:00, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

Religion section in infobox

The religion section in the infobox is needlessly mentioning that he promoted all religions.

It's supposed to be about the religious beliefs of a subject of the article, not how many religions he promoted or how tolerant he was.

I tried correcting this, but User:Joshua Jonathan reverted me stating "please don't ignore the inline warning". I didn't, it was talking about not adding his religion prior to conversion to Buddhism, I simply removed the part about him promoting all religions and kept Buddhism only.

Still I've opened up this discussion to avoid edit warring. The religion section in the infobox should only be about the personal beliefs of a person. Linkin Prankster (talk) 01:59, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

You also removed that inline warning; that's disruptive. The fact that Ashoka supported other religions is relevant; religion was not simply a personal choice, but had wider societal implications. I checked te template-info; there's no compelling argument stated there to restrict 'religion' to just one item. So, context matters. Regards, Joshua Jonathan - Let's talk! 05:09, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

I never said it's irrelevant but the infobox isn't the place for mentioning his policies. I apologise for removing the note, that was accidental. Linkin Prankster (talk) 12:35, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

Also @Joshua Jonathan:, MOS:INFOBOXREL clearly states that "Such a parameter should only appear in infoboxes that pertain to classes of persons for whom religion is integral to their notability...". Example infobox clergy.

Whether Ashoka's religion is integral to their notability is disputbable, his notability is because of the large amount of inscriptions and the empire he ruled. So either we keep it limited to Buddhism or remove the religion section altogether.

But the infobox isn't the place for his secular religious policies. Let me shorten the "religion" section to simply Buddhism, I'll take care not to remove the inline warning. Linkin Prankster (talk) 12:44, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

@Linkin Prankster: thank you for your clarifications and self-restraint. His religion is certainly relevant for his notability; without him Buddhism may have been quite less influential. Yet, there are some nuances: he may have been a Buddhist, but the 'rightenous' he propagated was not restricted to Buddhism, and he also sponsored other religions. So, yes, it's all relevant. Maybe we should ask some others for their thoughts? Regards, Joshua Jonathan - Let's talk! 14:27, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

Many monarchs throughout history, such as those in medieval Europe, officially promoted or patronized religions beyond their personal faith as a matter of statecraft, yet we would only list their personal belief in an infobox. Many modern monarchs such as the King of the UK or the Emperor of Japan have their religion listed in infoboxes simply as a matter of convention, even when their religion is held in an official capacity rather than as a defining aspect of their personal faith. If we follow that same convention for Ashoka, it should still be kept to personal belief only, which in this case would be Buddhist, rather than expanding it to describe his patronage policies, which no other monarch's infobox does. GalaxyCreeperz (talk) 01:15, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

The current section is just overlong. I would support simply including "Buddhism", with an annotation explaining the nuance. Jogarz1921 (talk) 21:00, 30 July 2026 (UTC)

@Linkin Prankster The religion section is fine as it is. If we simply state that he was a Buddhist, how do we explain the Barabar Caves Edict, which records his patronage of the Ajivikas? Modern scholarship also cautions against reducing Aśoka religious outlook to a single tradition. As Peter Fibiger Bang and Christopher Bayly note, "Aśoka placed Buddhism side by side with Brahmanism, Jainism, and the Ajivikas in his edicts and stressed that his dhamma was not the doctrine of one religion but was universal." (The Oxford World History of Empire, Vol. 2, 2021, p. 208). This suggests the issue is more nuanced than simply describing him as solely Buddhist. Chronos.Zx (talk) 14:25, 31 July 2026 (UTC)

Most ancient and even some medieval Indian kings supported other religions as they were their subjects. Even the Brahminical Sungas supported Buddhism, even Tipu Sultan and Aurangzeb patronized some Hindu temples. The point should be which region they personally followed. Linkin Prankster (talk) 18:22, 31 July 2026 (UTC)

I suggest we phrase it as: "Patronised Buddhism, but also promoted Dhamma." This would better reflect the current scholarly understanding that 'dhamma' word in Ashoka edicts was not simply the doctrine of Buddhism, but a broader ethical policy that Ashoka presented as universal, as mentioned in the sources already cited there. The religion section in infobox is already quite long, so it would be better to keep it as short as possible. Chronos.Zx (talk) 03:37, 1 August 2026 (UTC)

Then it would be "Promoted dhamma, 'a [doctrine/moral stance/philosophy] not of one religion but universal'; patronised several religions". Which is a shortened version of what's now in the infobox, which I still find okay, except for the order. Joshua Jonathan - Let's talk! 04:27, 1 August 2026 (UTC)

As I already said earlier many ancient Indian kings promoted other religions they didn't personally follow. Ashoka believed in Buddhism, there's no record of him worshipping Hindu gods or Jain figures etc. It should simply stay as Buddhism in the infobox. Linkin Prankster (talk) 09:11, 1 August 2026 (UTC)

@Linkin Prankster As on wiki, we are bounded to follow what the sources say, and looking at the sources cited for religion in infobox, I think, it is not as simple as it appears, you should agree with my proposal: "Patronised Buddhism, but also promoted Dhamma." It is much better than the current bloated parameter and better reflects the sources.

Otherwise, if you find another way forward, feel free to tag me when needed. I'm stepping out of this discussion for now, as it looks like it's becoming never-ending. That said, you've made a few good arguments. Chronos.Zx (talk) 19:11, 1 August 2026 (UTC)

His personal religion wss Buddhism. This is agreed upon by all sources. Infobox isn't the place for religious policies of a person, but personal religious beliefs. Linkin Prankster (talk) 19:14, 1 August 2026 (UTC)