About the Book
This very well researched book has brought into sharp focus different aspects connected with the personality of the Emperor Asoka in a very comprehensive way, admire the scholar for engaging himself for more than a decade for thorough and deeper understanding of the Asokan Edicts and after critically analysing and evaluating them, he has presented scholarly papers at various Epigraphical Society of India Conferences beginning from 2009 omwards. So this book is largely based on the Articles published in "Studies in Indian Epigraphy" (Bharatiya Purabhilekh Patrikā) the Journal of Epigraphical Society of India (JESI) in different Volumes which were presented previously by the Author himself at the Annual Congress of the Epigraphical Society of India from 2009-2024. The crux of the writing is to show the manifold personality of Aśoka as reflected in his Edicts and their bearing or relevance to our modern democratic set up. As the author has rightly mentioned in his preface "Present venture is to fish out the appropriate and legitimate answer of the interesting question Why Should King Asoka be revered in Modern Democracy?" along with a rational justification of the same question". A thorough and critical understanding, seen in the writing brings home in ample measure what the author wanted to convey in the best possible manner. This would be a good addition to early Indian Historical Studies as well as Epigraphical Studies.
About the Author
Ashwaveer Wasudeo Gajbhiye (Senior Fellow: ICSSR, New Delhi, 2026-27) (b. 1975) (Village Bhosa, Dist. Bhandara, Maharashtra) Education: B.Sc. (Bio), M.A. (History), UGGNET (History), Ph.D. (Gondwana University Gadchiroli), BANRF-2019 (Babasaheb Ambedkar National Research Fellowship) Awarded in 2020 by BARTI (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute, Pune) Profession: Teaching as a Lecturer in U.G. and P.G. Colleges from 2005. Member: (1) Subject Examination Committee, B.P.A. (Bachelor of Performing Art), Subject: Heritage of Indian Art and Culture, SG.B. Amravati University Amravati (From 2011) (2) Indian History Congress (AM-22818) (3) Epigraphical Society of India, Mysore. Founder Secretary: The Ashoka Archaeological and Environmental Preservation and Research Society Dist. Bhandara, Maharashtra. Published Work: (A) Books: (1) The Constitutional Name of India. (This book is reviewed (as an important book) in The Journal of Parliamentary Information (JPI), Vol. LXII, No. 3, Sept. 2016, Published by Lok Sabha Secretariat, Govt. of India) (2) Dhammachakravarti King Ashoka (Biography of king Ashoka in a narrative story) (3) Bharat Ganarajyache Vidhivat Namakaran (Marathi). (4) Alumni of Takshashila: Chanakya and Chandragupta (5) Freedom Struggle of Mahabodhi Temple: The Land of Enlightenment of Buddha (6) Wainganga Kshetra Ki Sanskriti Aur Sabhyata (Hindi) (B) Research Papers: More than 50 research papers are published in different magazines, Journals, and conference proceedings. Of these Seven papers on King Ashoka's Edicts are published in the Journal of Epigraphical Society of India (JESI) Mysore.
Foreword
I am extremely delighted to pen Foreword for the book entitled "Aśoka: The Ancient Monarch in Modern Democracy", beautifully brought out by Ashwaveer W. Gajbhiye. This very well researched booklet has brought into sharp focus different aspects connected with the personality of the Emperor Aśoka in a very comprehensive way, admire the scholar for engaging himself for more than a decade for thorough and deeper understanding of the Aśokan Edicts and after critically analysing and evaluating them, he has presented scholarly papers at various Epigraphical Society of India Conferences beginning from 2009 onwards. The Booklet contains five Appendices, each one being papers presented and published at different conferences- like Indian Penal Code in the Asoka's Inscriptions, Aśokan Epigraphs with Reference to the Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Duties and Others. The crux of the writingis to show the manifold personality of Aśoka as reflected in his Edicts and their bearing or relevance to our modern democratic set up. As the author has rightly mentioned in his preface "Present venture is to fish out the appropriate and legitimate answer of the interesting question 'Why Should King Asoka be revered in Modern Democracy?' along with a rational justification of the same question".
Acknowledgements
I am bound to offer my lots of thanks with hale and hearty to Dr. Meka Venkata Raghavendra (M.V.R.) Varma (Epigraphist Archaeological Survey of India, Mysore) the Secretary of Epigraphical Society of India, Mysore. On account of his permission obtained very smoothly and enthusiastically the task proved easy to reproduce and utilise the articles for the present booklet as the fundamental source which are published earlier in Studies in Indian Epigraphy (Bhāratāya Purābhilekh Patrikā) the Journal of Epigraphical society of India (JESI). Also I am thankful to the entire authority of the above said society and editorial board of the said journal whose best wishes are with the author of this booklet. Hon'ble Dr. T.S. Ravishankar the retired Director of Epigraphy, Archaeological Survey of India, Mysore has written the Foreword to the present booklet within a very short span no sooner did I approach him for the purpose. I expressed lots of thanks for his so generous aid who endowed on me. Dr. Ravindra Thipse Pune and my younger brother Rajesh Gajbhiye are deserved that I must offer thanks to them for their service which they rendered for me time to time. Inter alia I must thank to all of acclaimed scholars and historians of Aśokan history who have been left great treasure of knowledge of this field.
Preface
It is an interesting thing to adopt the ideal of a monarch in modern democracy who belonged to a very ancient monarchism when we are living now in the age of Democracy and Communism. There is no value to such pristine form of government in modern era since it has been proved too old and obsolete. Notwithstanding, this has been happened in case of King Aśoka and Indian Democracy. The Constituent Assembly of India has adopted the Supreme Wheel of Law (Dhammachakra) from Saranāth Lion Capital of King Aśoka, on 22nd July, 1947 and was destined this in the middle of National Tri colour Flag of independent Indian Republic. Also the State Seal or the Official Emblem of the Government of India had been made to the same Saranāth Lion Capital on 26th January, 1950. The sole question is: Why should King Aśoka be revered in Democratic form of Government in Modern World? Present venture is to fish out the appropriate and legitimate answer of this interesting question along with a rational justification.
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