The Ascension of King Aśoka and Historical Date Analysis : หน้า 5/41

This information was drawn from the Purāṇa’s text, indicating a total of 49 years (317 B.C. + 49 years = 268 B.C.). A review of the Purāṇa’s text shows that it is highly inconsistent and self-contradictory. Therefore, it can be said that this information is highly unreliable. The results of Nakamura’s theory are based on potentially flawed information. However, a new perspective can be gained from Aśoka’s Rock Edict XIII, which mentions the names of five Greek Kings and the years of their respective reigns. This paper determines the year when King Aśoka ascended to the throne, calculated with reference to three important points: 1. The reigning years of the five Greek kings whose names appear in the Aśoka’s Rock Edict XIII. 2. The year of King Candragupta’s accession to the throne. 3. The number of years from King Candragupta’s accession, to that of King Aśoka, recorded as 56 years in the chronicle texts of Ceylon. Thus, it was concluded that King Aśoka ascended to the throne in 267 B.C. The number of years between King Aśoka’s accession to the throne and the Buddha’s Parinirvāṇa will be discussed in the next paper. Keywords: Buddha’s Parinirvāṇa, Candragupta, Aśoka, Nakamura