This is the battlefied we saw in the film Asoka where Shahrukh Khan fights and later becomes a Buddhist.
Dhauli: The battlefield of Kalinga
It was on the plains below the hillocks of Dhauli that the terrible battle of Kalinga took place. Manmohan Melville visits one of the most dramatic landmarks of Indian history
Eight kilometres to the south of the city of Bhubaneshwar, the gently-rolling coastal plains of Orissa are marked by a cluster of low hillocks. This place is called Dhauligiri (or Dhauli). Although Dhauli is not as well-known to tourists as nearby Puri and Konark, it is, perhaps, one of the most dramatic landmarks of Indian history!
In the year 261 BC, Dhauli was witness to one of the bloodiest battles of ancient times. It was also witness to the transformation of Emperor Asoka into one of the most noble monarchs in history.
Even today, the hillocks of Dhauli are surrounded by open fields of paddy; through which bullock carts trumble along at an unhurried pace. The only people around here who seem to be in some sort of hurry are the tourists, as they make a breathless dash to the monument on the hillock, and then speed away to the next spot. Too bad! If they had the time to linger for a few moments at Dhauli, they may have had an opportunity to share one of the most profound moments of Indian history…
Asoka the Terrible…
Chandragupta Maurya, the ruler of Magadha, had his capital at Pataliputra (present day Patna). He had conquered many lands, but not Kalinga (ancient Orissa). The monarch was guided by his legendary minister Chanakya. Wise Chanakya may have suspected that Kalinga had powerful forces, which could prove equal in strength to the troops of Magadha. So, he advised his monarch to expand his empire through the conquest of other kingdoms - but not Kalinga.
Chandragupta’s grandson, Asoka, had no wise minister to guide him. At an early age, he had earned himself the title Chandasoka (or Asoka the Terrible). Asoka’s vast empire extended from Assam to Afghanistan and from Kashmir to Mysore. The only “piece” missing was the small, but powerful, independent state of Kalinga. So, in the eighth year of his rule, Asoka decided to conquer Kalinga. He rallied his mighty army and marched towards ancient Orissa. It was on the plains below the hillocks of Dhauli that the terrible battle of Kalinga took place. The battle resulted in destruction and carnage of staggering proportions.
Near the battlefield runs a river, which has since been re-named River Daya(meaning “kindness”). On that day, the legends say, the river ran red with the blood of the slain and wounded. Towards evening, it was declared that Asoka had won the battle. With a sense of triumph, the young king ascended the hillocks to survey the field he had won. Standing at Dhauli, in the twilight, he heard the cries of the wounded. In the dwindling light, he could see heaps of dismembered bodies of soldiers and animals. He watched as the women crept along the ground, searching for their husbands and sons. He heard the wails of mourning children.
A terrible anguish arose in Asoka’s heart. The victory lost all its savour. Bitter tears began to roll down his cheeks as he realised what he had done. He came upon a monk moving silently across the grounds - tending the wounded and consoling the weeping. He threw himself at the feet of the saintly monk. The monk was one Upagupta. In the days that followed, he initiated Asoka into the teachings of the Buddha. At Dhauli, ‘Asoka the Terrible’ was transformed to ‘Asoka the Pious’ (Dharmasoka).
…Becomes Asoka the Pious
Half-way up the hill of Dhauli stands a rock on which are inscribed the edicts of Asoka. Near the edict is a carved figure of an elephant - the symbol of the Buddha. The magnificent elephant has weathered centuries of exposure to storm and sun. Archeologists claim that it is the earliest example of rock-cut sculpture found in India.
After the battle, Asoka became a Buddhist and spent the rest of his life working for his subjects, studying religion and organizing groups of monks to carry the message of the Buddha to different corners of the world.
These groups of monks carried the philosophy of Dharma to Ceylon, Japan and the Far East. They travelled through Kandahar (Afghanistan) to the Middle East, Egypt and the Mediterranean. They reached as far as Greece where the monks set up a school of Buddhist philosophy, which flourished over many centuries. In fact, some scholars even believe that Jesus Christ, who was born 200 years later, was influenced by the teachings of Buddha.
India, of course, was greatly influenced by the events after Dhauli. When Asoka became a Buddhist, he impressed his subjects with his piety. The Empire he controlled soon became predominantly Buddhist. For a period thereafter, Buddhism was practised widely in North India - until, there was a revival of the Hindu religion once again.
While he ruled - for thirty years after Dhauli - Asoka tried to create a Utopian kingdom in India. Most of his laws are inscribed in his edicts. Thirty-six of these edicts have been found in locations as faraway as Nepal and Kandahar! He ends each edict with his famous statement - “All men are my children.”
Two thousand years after Asoka’s death, Nehru adopted the lion figures from his pillar at Sarnath as newly-independent India’s national emblem!
For many centuries, the hillocks of Dhauli lay unattended. The River Daya flowed quietly nearby. Empires rose and fell. A few kilometers away from Dhauli are the ruins of Sishupalgarh - believed to be the capital of Kalinga in ancient times. Not a soul dwells there today. Only low walls and empty spaces tell of its great past. Dhauli, too, would have passed away into oblivion, had it not been for the stone elephant. Some decades ago, archeologists unearthed the stone elephant at Dhauli. In 1972, a Japanese Buddhist mission volunteered to build a shanti stupa (peace pagoda) at Dhauli. The stupa serves to remind us of the story of Dhauli. It is covered with sculpted panels of the life of Buddha and Emperor Asoka. It has become a monument where the tourist-in-a-hurry can make a quick dash into history.
One evening, an hour before twilight, I reached Dhauli. I gazed at the white shanti stupa - built in the shape of an enormous dome, with stems of five stylised lotus flowers springing out of the top. They represent the five cardinal Buddhist virtues - faith, hope, compassion, forgiveness and non-violence.
Dhauli is a monument that stands not in Time - but in Timelessness. The eternal lesson one learns from Dhauli is one of hope - in man’s humanity to man. A lesson that is all the more precious at the present time of global turmoil and war.
As I stood there, a breeze blew in from the coast of Orissa. The trees sighed, like the cries of a thousand anguished souls. Were the cries from Kalinga or Kandahar? The sun dipped low on the horizon. And it seemed as if the river had turned red once more!