ICSE Class 6 Answered

In 261 BCE, Ashoka attacked Kalinga and conquered it after a bloody war. However, the death and destruction caused by this war saddened Ashoka greatly. It affected Ashoka so much that it compelled him to give up warfare altogether. After the tragedy of war, Ashoka became deeply influenced by the Buddhist principles of compassion, peace and non-violence. As a result, he embraced Buddhism and devoted his life to the moral and material betterment of his subjects. In effect, he replaced the policy of ‘dig vijaya’ (conquest of territories) with ‘dhamma vijaya’ (conquest through dharma).