The
Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the
Pillars of Ashoka as well as boulders and cave walls made by the Emperor
Ashoka of the
Mauryan Empire during his reign from 269 BCE to 232 BCE. These inscriptions were dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day
Bangladesh,
India,
Nepal, Afghanistan and
Pakistan and represent the first tangible evidence of
Buddhism. The edicts describe in detail the Ashoka's view about
dhamma, an earnest attempt to solve some of problems that a complex society faced. According to the edicts, the extent of Buddhist proselytism during this period reached as far as the
Mediterranean, and many Buddhist monuments were created.