RAS question
Ashoka's Kalinga War (261 BCE) was significant because:
Correct answer: (D) It caused massive bloodshed leading Ashoka to embrace Buddhism and non-violence.
Ashoka's Kalinga War in 261 BCE was significant because its massive bloodshed led him to champion Buddhism, peace and non-violence.
Explanation
The significance of the Kalinga War lies less in territorial conquest and more in its moral and political aftermath. The Government of Odisha says Ashoka, the Mauryan king of Magadh, invaded Kalinga in 261 BC and that Kalinga was defeated after relentless resistance. It also cites Ashoka's thirteenth Rock Edict: one lakh people were slain, one and a half lakh were captured, and many times that number died. The war was exceptionally bloody, and Rock Edict XIII records Ashoka's remorse. The decisive point is the result: after Kalinga, Ashoka fought no further war and became a great champion of Buddhism, peace and non-violence.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Kalinga was defeated, not Ashoka, so calling the war significant because it was Ashoka's defeat reverses the event described by the Government of Odisha.
- (B) The fighting was bitter and had terrible results: one lakh slain and one and a half lakh captured, so it was not a minor battle.
- (C) Trade expansion was not the war's significance; the focus is on bloodshed and Ashoka's post-war transformation.
Concept
This tests the Mauryan Empire's shift from conquest to Dhamma after the Kalinga War. It recurs in RAS because Rock Edict XIII links a major ancient Indian battle with Ashoka's turn towards Buddhism and non-violence.