Ashoka was a patron of Buddhism therefore he used many symbols that are relevant in Buddhism as motifs in the Ashokan pillar. According to Buddhist tradition, Buddha entered his mother’s womb in the form of a white elephant.
The historian V. A. Smith has called Samudragupta the ‘Napoleon’ of India because of his policy of war and conquest. He started with the conquest of his immediate neighbours and then by campaigns to the east and the south.