LAW CODE
The Mauryan code of law was
originally layed down by Chandragupta Maurya, who created a very bureaucratic
government and a vast secret service system. His code of laws remained
prominent until his grandson, Ashoka, assumed power. Following a series
of intensely bloody wars, King Ashoka embraced Buddhism and pacifism. While
Ashoka did not ban other faiths, he encouraged Buddhism by making laws that
correlated with Buddhist customs. Some of his laws and beliefs were
carved into rock in his Rock Edicts and Minor Rock Edicts shown below, while
others, aptly named the Pillar Edicts, were carved onto the now-famous Ashokan
Pillars, some of which are topped with the symbol he selected at the Mauryan
emblem, four lions standing back to back. A full translation of the
Ashokan Edicts can be found at http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html.
Ashoka also formed a "moral inspection committee" to ensure
that the Mauryan people were behaving morally. These moral restrictions,
eerily reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984, probably did not make
Ashoka very popular within his kingdom. However, the benefits he brought
the Mauryan Empire outweigh the control he exerted over his subjects.
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