History chronicles innumeravle kings who were brave conquerors and valiant soldiers. But Ashoka stands above them all because he is the only one who at the zenith of his conquests saw the futility of violence and had the courage to renounce it. That is why, H.G. Wells in his 'Short History of The World' says that Ashoka's "reign for eight and twenty years was one of the brightest interludes in the troubled history of mankind". Wells goes on to say, "Such was Ashoka, the greatest of kings. He was far in advance of his age". This volume is based on the original research of the author into the Mahavamsa, the Dipavamsa, the commentary on the Mahavamsa, and the edicts of Ashoka. Pali manuscripts and other secondary sources have also been extensively studied in gleaning facts which should kindle a new interest in Ashoka.
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