Rock and Pillar Edicts of Asoka

Audience

The emperor varied the language and script of the edicts so that local people would have easy access to them. There was thus no uniformity of language and script for the inscriptions as a collection. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the inscriptions were in Greek and Aramaic. The majority of the inscriptions were in the Prakrit language, using the Brahmi and Kharoshthi scripts. The edicts were primarily engraved in places that were important as trade centers, sites of pilgrimage, or towns of regional significance; in other words, the edicts were situated where audiences would be larger, especially for religious or commercial purposes. However, some edicts were placed in areas that were not easily accessible, and no valid explanation for such placement has been put forth.

The edicts were meant for the people as a whole, and Asoka's predilection for reaching out to enlighten the subjects of the empire gives something of a conversional tone to the inscriptions. In some cases, the edicts were addressed to Buddhist monks and state officials. In those addressed to monks, Buddhist practices and matters relating to monasteries were dealt with; the officials, in turn, were given various instructions for performing the tasks of dhamma protection and propagation. Because Buddhism was supported principally by the merchant class, trade, trade routes, and commerce-linked centers played an important role in determining the locations of the edicts. In the south, for example, where imperial control was not strong, inscriptions were nonetheless found in the gold-mining areas.

Some of the pillars stand out with respect to their locations and intended audiences. Asoka erected a monolithic pillar in the famous Buddhist center of Sanchi, located near the notable urban center of Vidisha, which was populated by a large Buddhist trading community. In Sarnath, a revered Buddhist site and important center of trade, the emperor erected a gargantuan monolithic pillar fifty feet in height having four lions as its capital (the column's crown). The location of edicts in other important places like Allahabad, Bairat, Brahmagiri, Girnar, Kalsi, Kandhar, Mansehra, Suvarnagiri, and Taxila further supports the notion that the inscriptions were meant for public audiences.