History glossary
Kalinga War
Ashoka's brutal conquest of Kalinga, remembered as the shock that changed his public language of rule.
- Category
- War
- Region
- Eastern India
- Date range
- c. 261 BC
What it means
The Kalinga War was Ashoka's conquest of the eastern Indian region of Kalinga, usually placed around 261 BC. Ashoka's own edicts describe severe human suffering after the campaign, and later memory made it the turning point behind his embrace of dhamma and Buddhist patronage.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Rise and Spread of Buddhism
From the Buddha's awakening to Ashoka's patronage and missions to Sri Lanka, Buddhism grew from a northern Indian path into a faith with foundations across Asia.
The Maurya Empire
From Chandragupta's overthrow of the Nandas to Ashoka's edicts and the empire's fall, the Mauryas created the first imperial state to unite much of the Indian subcontinent.
