Ashoka's Rock Edicts, Junagarh

Ashoka's Rock Edicts, Junagarh are situated in Girinagara Hill. The rock edicts of Ashoka are engraved on the eastern face of granite boulders on the slope of Urijayata Hill. Written in Pali language, these inscriptions date back to 263 BC.

The epigraph of Skandagupta was added to the edict in 150 AD. In 450 AD, the epigraph of Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman I was also engraved on the boulder in Brahmi script. The edicts provide the history of Lake Sudarshan. They also provide the details of the lake and the breach that had developed in it due to the turbulent waters of rivers Suvarna Sikata and Palasini. Ashoka's Rock Edicts in Junagarh were discovered in 1822 by James Todd.

Ashoka's Rock Edicts, Junagarh is one of the most popular sites in Gujarat that attract tourists from the different parts of the world. The inscriptions narrate the story of Ashoka's repentance. Moreover, the inscriptions oppose greed and animal sacrifice and preach 16 principles, viz. purity of thought, devotion, secular thinking, kindness, senses and gratitude.



Last Updated on 06/06/2013