Ashoka

India's lost emperor Ashoka Maurya has a special place in history. In his quest to govern India by moral force alone he turned Buddhism from a minor sect into a world religion, and set up a new yardstick for government. But Ashoka's bold experiment ended in tragedy and he was forgotten for almost two thousand years.

In this beautifully written, multi-layered journey Charles Allen describes how fragments of the Ashokan story were gradually discovered, pieced together by a variety of British Orientalists: antiquarians, archaeologists and epigraphists. In doing so, they did much to recover India's ancient history itself. The Lost Emperor tells the story of the man who was arguably the greatest ruler India has ever known.

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Apart from its clarity and readability another of the book's strengths is the way in which it explains why Ashoka is so important ... Charles Allen nails Ashoka down, while skilfully showing us how he has done it Literary Review It is an inspiring tale, and Charles Allen tells it with the light, unshowy touch that has become second nature to him in his numerous excursions into British India and beyond Spectator An impressively researched, much-needed study, with vaulable period illustrations which should introduce a fascinating historical figues to a new general audience -- Andrew Robinson Independent

Charles Allen is the author of a number of bestselling books about India and the colonial experience elsewhere. A traveller, historian and master storyteller he is one of the great chroniclers of India. 

India's lost emperor Ashoka Maurya has a special place in history. In his quest to govern India by moral force alone he turned Buddhism from a minor sect into a world religion, and set up a new yardstick for government. But Ashoka's bold experiment ended in tragedy and he was forgotten for almost two thousand years.