Seven major pillar edicts have been found at Lauriya-Araraj, Lauriya Nandangarh, Rampurva, Nigali Sagar, Sarnath, Topra, and Meerut. Ashokan pillars probably signify the axis of the world (axis mundi) that separated heaven and earth.
The Mauryan art is believed to be inspired from Achaemenid or Persian influence. We can find a lot of similarities in terms of form and style in the inscriptions of Ashoka and the Persian king Darius.
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan empire. In Greek and Latin accounts he is also mentioned as Sandrocuttos. It is believed that Chandragupta Maurya adopted Jainism and became an ascetic under the Jain saint Bhadrabahu.
EXAMIANS