关于阿育王石柱 About The Ashokan pillar

邱柏霖

About The Ashokan Pillar
The Ashokan Pillar is one of the oldest and most revered monuments at Lumbini, Nepal. It is a stone column erected by the Emperor Ashoka when he visited in 249 BC.
History of The Ashokan Pillar
The Ashokan Pillars are a series of columns throughout the Indian subcontinent, and are among the earliest known stone sculptural monuments in India. They were built or at least inscribed by the Emperor Ashoka during his reign from 268 to 232 BC. The pillars were built at Buddhist monasteries and places of pilgrimage as well as many important sites from Buddha’s life. The pillars are important monuments of India’s architectural past, with most of them exhibiting the famous smooth and shiny Mauryan stone polish.
The sandstone Ashokan Pillar at Lumbini is one of the most revered monuments in the area. There are ancient historical records from between the 5th and 7th century that discuss the search for Buddha’s birthplace, which was said to be in Lumbini. The Lumbini pillar itself was mentioned in these ancient texts, and was positioned where Buddha was born. In the ancient description, it is noted that the pillar used to be crowned by a sculpture of a horse, but even by then, the pillar had broken in half, and was partially buried. 
In 1896, due to these historical records, the governor of Palpa General Khadge Samsher Rana and Alois Anton Fuhrer re-discovered the great stone pillar.

Blue

It is your sharing that makes me understand more knowledge about this period , I'll search more about it later.

Cedar

After the war in Kalinga, Ashoka realized the cruelty of the war and his cruelty, began to reflect on the war, repented, carried forward Buddhist ideas, and carved his thoughts on the stone columns through decrees, laws, and building stupas to spread ideas. This stone column is called Ashoka Stone Column.

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The main post give a brief introduction to the stasus,history and story behind  The Ashoka Pillar：
The Ashoka Pillar is one of the oldest and most revered monuments in Lumbini, Nepal; The Ashoka Pillar refers to a series of columns throughout the Indian subcontinent and is one of the earliest known stone monuments in India. They were built or at least inscribed during the reign of Emperor Ashoka from 268 BC to 232 BC. These pillars are important monuments to the architectural history of India, most of which have the famous smooth shiny malachite polish. The sandstone Ashoka Pillar of Lumbini is one of the most revered monuments in the region. The Lumbini pillar itself is mentioned in these ancient texts and is located in the place where the Buddha was born.
Besides,I also find something interesting about it:Four lions standing back to back, with mouths wide open, their tongue sticking out, and their teeth seem to be as pointed as spears, the claws are protruding from their paws.The well-formed veins and mane of these four lions look very beautiful. These lions roaring in all four directions are undoubtedly a symbol of strength, power, and royalty. To a large extent, it is possible that the warning of Emperor Ashoka in the context of people trying to divide Buddhism is inscribed on the top of the pillar and these four lions are an attempt to embody the warning and make the warning relatively more effective. From the structure of the eyes of the four lions, it appears that the circular structure of these eyes must have been studded with precious stones.
https://nithinks.com/2022/11/23/ ... ory-and-importance/

打团别迷糊

By reading your article, I know a lot about Ashoka's Divine Pillar. It is beneficial to carry forward Buddhism.

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Joe

It is so great of you that bring a lot of knowledge about Artistic images and historical meanings of  Ashokan pillar  and for The Ashokan Pillar today is like what is below:
The Ashokan Pillar now stands outside the Maya Devi Temple, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Combined with the temple, the Pillar is a hugely popular tourist attraction for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. It is also a key destination for many Buddhist pilgrimages. The area itself is historically and spiritually fascinating, with the holy site of Lumbini being bordered by a large monastic zone in which strictly only monasteries are allowed to be built.
From early in the morning to early in the evening, pilgrims from different countries chant and meditate at the site. The Pillar is normally accessible between 6am and 6pm.
There are other places to visit in Lumbini, including the Maya Devi Temple, the World Peace Pagoda, the Myanmar Golden Temple, and the Lumbini Crane Sanctuary.