The ancient city of Patliputra was established by king Ajatshatru around fifth century BC. It was situated at the confluence of the two rivers known as Sone and Ganga. Megasthenes, an emissary of Alexander’s general, Seleucus Necator, lived in Pataliputra around 300 BC. He left behind a chronicle of what it was like to live in those days, in and around Pataliputra. That was the first recorded history by a foreign traveller in India. It describes in vivid terms the grandeur of life in the city.
Around 270 BC, the great Mauryan king Ashoka formulated principles of governance for his empire. These principles became known as the Edicts of Ashoka. They were inscribed on stone pillars, which were erected across his empire. The pillars were crowned with a capital made of one or more heads of lions sitting atop a pedestal inscribed with a wheel. The lion denoted strength while the wheel denoted the eternal nature of truth or dharma. The wheel became known as 'dharma chakra’ or the eternal truth. This column capital was adopted as the official seal of India and was incorporated into the Indian flag.
A contemporary of Ptolemy and Euclid, Ashoka was a great conqueror and his empire extended from what is now the North West Frontier Province in Pakistan in the west, to the eastern boundaries of present India in the north, and up to the Vindhyan range in the south. Ashoka was responsible for the spread of Buddhism in his empire.
A brief video
Reference: Magnificent Bihar
Photo Credit: Ashokan Pillar
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