Asoka

This is the Hindi translation of Mukherjee's work- Asoka. Written by one of the eminent historians this book brings out substantially the chief features of King Asoka's glorious rule. It represents Asoka as a great humanitarian, wise statesman, good administrator, social reformer, and upholder of truth, law, and order. Nowhere else can we get such an immense wealth of information on the social and cultural milieu during the reign of this monarch? The book is divided into eight chapters. Of these the first six deal with the early life and family of the Emperor, the details of his career as king, his administration, religion, monuments, and the social conditions of the country during this period. The last two chapters contain the text of the inscriptions, their translation, and annotation. Chapters II and VII are followed by appendices on the Asokan chronology from the legends and Rock Edicts. Chapter VIII has an appendix on the Script, Dialect, and Grammar of the inscriptions. The value of the book is enhanced by the insertion of an index and addenda on some valuable inscriptions and Rock Edicts, fifteen plates, and a map of Asoka's Empire.

About the Author:

Radha Kumud Mukherjee (also spelled Radhakumud or Radha Kumud Mookerji; 25 January 1884 – 9 September 1963) was an Indian historian and a noted Indian nationalist during the period of British colonial rule. He was the brother of the sociologist Radhakamal Mukerjee.

Mukherjee obtained a doctorate from the University of Calcutta in 1905 and joined the newly established National Council of Education, teaching at the Bengal National College. After 1915, he embarked on a series of tenures at universities in Benares, Mysore, and Lucknow.

He published Indian Shipping: A History of Seaborne Trade and Maritime Activity of the Indians from the Earliest Times in 1912. He was an advocate of the notion of Greater India in which Indian merchants and adventurers with huge fleets brought Indians to Southeast Asia and became the foundation of kingdoms in that region.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1957 for his contribution to Public Affairs.