NOTE:--- ENGLISH AND HINDI LANGUAGE:-
प्रश्न-- अशोक के साम्राज्य विस्तार का निर्धारण उसके अभिलेखों के आधार पर कीजिए।
अथवा
अशोक के अधीन मौर्य साम्राज्य के विस्तार की विवेचना कीजिए।
Dr Om Prakas Singh
उत्तर-पूर्वी सीमा का निर्धारण--- उत्तराखण्ड के देहरादून जिले में कालसी नामक स्थान से प्राप्त अशोक के अभिलेख से पता चलता है कि गढ़वाल-देहरादून का यह पहाड़ी प्रदेश अशोक के अधिकार में था। अभिलेखों, अनुश्रुतियों और अशोक द्वारा निर्मित स्मारकों से ज्ञात होता है कि नेपाल और उसकी तराई के भू-भाग पर भी अशोक का आधिपत्य था। उसके अभिलेख "रूमनदेई" तथा "निग्लीवा" से मिले है। बिहार के चम्पारण में भी "लौरिया-अरेराज" और "लौरिया-नन्दनगढ़" में भी अशोक के स्तम्भ लेख मिले है। ये स्तम्भ लेख इस बात का स्पष्ट प्रामाण है कि नेपाल की तराई का समस्त भू-भाग अशोक के राज्य में सम्मिलित था। "रामपुरवा" का अभलेख और ललितपाटन का अशोक द्वारा निर्मित स्मारक-स्तूप इस बात का साक्षी है कि नेपाल की घाटी का पूरा प्रदेश अशोक के राज्य का अंग था। अनुश्रुतियों के अनुसार अशोक ने नेपाल के अनेक स्थानों की यात्रा की और वहां देवीपाटन या पाटल नामक नगर भी बसाया था। इस नगर के बीच मे उसने एक चैत्य का निर्माण भी करवाया था। चार चैत्य नगर के चारो ओर मुख्य स्थानों पर निर्मित करबाये। अशोक की एक पुत्री चारूमती का विवाह नेपाल के क्षत्रिय राजकुमार देवपाल से हुआ था। पश्चिमी नेपाल का प्रसिद्ध स्वयंभूनाथ का मन्दिर भी अशोक द्वारा निर्मित बताया जाता है। ।
उड़ीसा के दो स्थानों धौली और जौगढ़ से उसके अभिलेख मिले है। बंगाल में ताम्रलिप्ति से प्राप्त स्तूप उसके वहाँ अधिपत्य की सूचना देता है।
पश्चिमी-सीमा का निर्धारण----- पश्चिम में अशोक के साम्राज्य की सीमा का निर्धारण वहां से प्राप्त अभिलेखों के आधार पर किया गया है। जूनागढ़ के निकट "गिरनार अभिलेख" तथा महाराष्ट्र के सोपारा नामक स्थान से मिले है और इस प्रदेश पर तुसाष्प राज्यपाल की नियुक्ति यहं सिद्व करती है कि ये राज्य उसके साम्राज्य में सम्मिलित थे।
दक्षिण-सीमा का निर्धारण--- दक्षिण में भी अनेक स्थानों से अशोक के अभलेख मिले है। ये स्थान- येरागुंडी (आंध्रप्रदेश) ब्रह्मगिरि, सिद्धपुर, मास्की तथा जटिंग-रामेश्वरम (कर्नाटक) है। इससे स्प्ष्ट होता है कि ये क्षेत्र अशोक के आधिपत्य में थे। अतः मौर्य साम्राज्य बिना किसी अन्तराल के हिन्दूकुश से बंगाल की खाड़ी और हिमालय से लेकर मैसूर तक फैल गया था। दक्षिण के राज्यो चोल, पाण्ड्य, केरल पुत्र, सतियपुत्र, ताम्रपर्णी को अशोक ने अभयदान दिया था किन्तु इसमें जरा सा भी संदेह नही है कि ये अशोक के राजनीतिक प्रभाव के भीतर थे। अशोक इनका उल्लेख अपने 13 वे शिलालेख में सीमावर्ती राज्यो के रूप में भी करता है।
अभिलेखों के आधार पर अशोक के साम्राज्य की जो सीमा निश्चित की जाती है उसकी पुष्टि उन जातियों की स्थिति से भी होती है, जिनका उल्लेख अशोक ने अपने पाँचवे और तेहरवें अभिलेख में किया है, जिन्हें अशोक ने अपने साम्राज्य की सीमा पर माना है। ये जातियां-- योन, यवन, कम्बोज, गांधार, रिष्टिक, भोज, नाभक, नागपंक्ति, आंध्र, पुलिंग इत्यादि प्रमुख है। योन से तात्पर्य संभवतः उन यूनानियों से है जो नीसा में रहते थे। गांधार की राजधानी तक्षशिला थी। रिष्टिक, नासिक और पूना जिले में तथा भोज संभवतः बम्बई के पास थाना एवं कोलावा जिले में रहते थे। नाभक और नागपंक्ति संभवतः बलूचिस्तान और परिन्द संभवतःउत्तरी बंगाल में रहते थे। अशोक ने इन प्रदेशो में धम्म-महामात्रो की नियुक्ति की थी। आटवी-राज्यो को भी चेतावनी दी गई थी। इससे अनुमान लगाया जा सकता है कि साम्राज्य के बाहर रहते हुए भी इन पर अशोक का प्रभाव था। इसी प्रकार 13 वे शिलालेख में कुछ विदेशी राज्यो का जिक्र किया है, जो सीरिया, मिश्र, मकदूनिया, सिरीन, एपिरस में राज्य करते थे। ये शासक निश्चित तौर पर अशोक के प्रभाव क्षेत्र से बाहर थे। अशोक के साथ सिर्फ इनके मैत्रीपूर्ण संबंध थे।
.webp "Expansion-of-Ashoka's-empire")
यधपि अशोक को एक विस्तृत साम्राज्य विरासत में प्राप्त हुआ था। फिर भी प्राप्त अभिलेखों के माध्यम से जो राज्य विस्तार अशोक का प्राप्त होता है, वह उत्तर-पश्चिम में काबुल नदी के उत्तरी किनारे तक जलालाबाद तक विस्तृत था। उत्तर में कश्मीर, उत्तर-पूर्व में बंगाल, ताम्रलिप्ति तक दक्षिण में चोल, पांडय तक पश्चिम में सोपारा (थाना) सौराष्ट्र तक फैला था। संभवतः सुदूर दक्षिण में कुछ स्थानो को छोड़कर लगभग सम्पूर्ण भारत मे ही अशोक का प्रभाव दिखाई देता है। मौर्य साम्राज्य के इस विस्तार और प्रभाव के कारण ही महावंश में अशोक को समस्त “जम्बूद्वीप” का एक छत्र सम्राट कहा गया है।
यदि इतिहास को साक्षी माना जाय तो अशोक का राज्य विस्तार मानवता के प्रति दृष्टिकोण, धर्म के प्रचार-प्रसार, प्रजा के भौतिक एवं आध्यात्मिक कल्याण के प्रयास, धार्मिक सहिष्णुता की दृष्टि से अशोक सिकंदर, सीजर, नेपोलियन, अकबर आदि सभी मे अद्वितीय दिखाई पड़ता है।
IN ENGLISH:-
Question- Determine the expansion of Ashoka's empire on the basis of his inscriptions.
Or
Discuss the expansion of the Maurya Empire under Ashoka.
Answer--- His inscriptions and contemporary texts have an important contribution for the expansion of Ashoka's empire and boundary determination. Even on the basis of records only, we can definitely determine the extent and extent of his empire. Bhandarkar has spoken of writing the administration of the Maurya Empire on the basis of the inscriptions of Ashoka. Therefore, the empire and extent of Ashoka can be determined in the following way:
Determination of the North-Western Frontier------- Ashoka got a vast empire from his ancestors. In the north-west, Seleucus gave the territories of Herat (Herat), Kandahar, Balochistan and the valley of Kabul to Chandragupta Maurya. Ashoka's authority over these areas remained because his inscriptions have been received from two places in the north-west - "Shahbazgarhi" near Peshawar in Pakistan and "Mansera" near Hazara. Apart from these, inscriptions have been found in the Aramaic script of Ashoka from "Sharekuna" near Kandahar and "Laghaman" located on the northern bank of Kabul river near Jalalabad. Simultaneously, the north-west boundary is also confirmed by Hieun Tsang's composition Si.U. Ki. Because Hiuen Tsang had seen the stupa located in Kapisa. It is clear from the places of receipt of these inscriptions that his empire included Hindukush, Asia (Herat), Arcosia (Kandahar), Jedrosia, etc. It is thus clear that a large part of Afghanistan was included in Ashoka's empire.
Determination of North-Eastern Boundary -- Ashoka's inscription obtained from a place called Kalsi in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand shows that this hilly region of Garhwal-Dehradun was under the control of Ashoka. It is known from the inscriptions, legends and monuments built by Ashoka that the land of Nepal and its Terai was also ruled by Ashoka. His inscriptions have been found from "Rumandei" and "Nigliwa". Ashoka's pillar inscriptions have also been found in "Lauria-Areraj" and "Lauria-Nandangarh" in Champaran, Bihar. This pillar inscription is a clear proof of the fact that the entire territory of the Terai of Nepal was included in the kingdom of Ashoka. The inscription of "Rampurwa" and the monument-stupa built by Ashoka of Lalitpatan testify that the entire region of the valley of Nepal was a part of Ashoka's kingdom. According to legends, Ashoka traveled to many places in Nepal and had also established a city called Devipatan or Patal there. He had also built a chaitya in the middle of this city. Four chaityas should be built around the city at the main places. Charumati, a daughter of Ashoka, was married to Devpal, a Kshatriya prince of Nepal. The famous Swayambhunath temple of western Nepal is also said to be built by Ashoka.
At the beginning of his rule, Ashoka kept the political ideal of the ancient kings of India Digvijay in front of him and attacked those provinces of India which were not yet included in the Maurya Empire, it is known from Kalhana's Rajatarangini that first he conquered Kashmir. Ashoka was the first ruler of the Maurya dynasty in the history of Kashmir. Therefore, it appears from this that during the time of Chandragupta and Bindusara it was outside the Maurya Empire. There is a legend that it was Ashoka who settled Srinagar and built many chaityas and Stupas in the valley of Kashmir. After the conquest of Kashmir, Ashoka conquered his neighboring kingdom Kalinga in the south-east by attacking it. The result of these victories was that Kashmir and Kalinga also joined the Maurya Empire.
Its inscriptions have been found from two places of Orissa, Dhauli and Jaugarh. The stupa found in Bengal from Tamralipti gives information about his supremacy there.
Determination of the western-limit ----- The extent of Ashoka's empire in the west has been determined on the basis of the inscriptions received from there. The "Girnar inscription" near Junagadh and a place called Sopara in Maharashtra has been found and the appointment of Tusap Governor over this region proves that these states were included in his empire.
Determination of the southern boundary --- Inscriptions of Ashoka have been found from many places in the south also. These places are – Yerragundi (Andhra Pradesh), Brahmagiri, Siddhapur, Maski and Jating – Rameshwaram (Karnataka). It is clear from this that these areas were under the control of Ashoka. Therefore, the Maurya Empire spread without any gap from Hindukush to Bay of Bengal and from Himalayas to Mysore. Ashoka had given protection to the southern states of Chola, Pandya, Kerala Putra, Satiyaputra, Tamraparni, but there is no doubt that they were within the political influence of Ashoka. Ashoka also mentions them as border states in his 13th inscription.
The extent of Ashoka's empire which is determined on the basis of inscriptions is also confirmed by the position of those castes, which are mentioned by Ashoka in his fifth and thirteenth inscription, which Ashoka has considered on the boundary of his empire. These castes – Yona, Yavana, Kamboja, Gandhara, Rishik, Bhoja, Nabhak, Nagapankti, Andhra, Puling etc. are prominent. Yon probably refers to the Greeks who lived in Nyssa. The capital of Gandhara was Taxila. The Rishis lived in the districts of Nashik and Poona and the Bhojas probably lived in Thana and Colava districts near Bombay. Nabhak and Nagpakti probably lived in Balochistan and Parind possibly in North Bengal. Ashoka had appointed Dhamma-Mahamatra in these regions. Aatvi-states were also warned. From this it can be inferred that even while living outside the empire, Ashoka had influence on them. Similarly, in the 13th inscription, some foreign states have been mentioned, which ruled in Syria, Egypt, Macedonian, Sirin, Epirus. These rulers were certainly outside the sphere of influence of Ashoka. He had only friendly relations with Ashoka.
Although Ashoka had inherited a vast empire. Nevertheless, the state expansion that Ashoka gets through the inscriptions, was extended in the north-west up to Jalalabad on the northern bank of the Kabul river. Kashmir in the north, Bengal in the north-east, Tamralipti in the south up to the Cholas, in the west up to the Pandyas, Sopara (Tana) extended up to Saurashtra. Perhaps the influence of Ashoka is visible in almost the whole of India except in some places in the far south. Due to this expansion and influence of the Maurya Empire, Ashoka has been called an umbrella emperor of the entire "Jambudweep" in the Mahavansh.
If history is considered as a witness, Ashoka's attitude towards humanity, propagation of religion, efforts for material and spiritual welfare of the subjects, religious tolerance, Ashoka seems to be unique among Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Akbar etc.
TAGS:- Shahbazgarhi, Girnarinscription, ,Mansera, Sharekuna, 13th inscription, Laghaman, Expansion of Ashoka's empire on the basis of his inscriptions, Ancienthistory.