Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/181

 KOCK EDICTS 147 may be arranged in approximate chronological order as follows: 1. The Fourteen Rock Edicts, in seven recensions, dating from the thirteenth and fourteenth regnal years, as reckoned from the corona- tion, corresponding to 257 and 256 B. c. 2. The two Kalinga Edicts, issued probably in 256 B. c., and con- cerned only with the newly conquered province. 3. The three dedicatory Cave Inscriptions at Barabar near Gay a, 257 and 250 B. c. 4. The two Tarai Pillar Inscriptions, 249 B. c. 5. The Seven Pillar Edicts, in six recensions, 243 and 242 B. c. 6. The Supplementary Pillar Edicts, about 240 B. c. 7. The Minor Rock Edicts, dated in the year 256 after the death of Buddha, 232 or 231 B. c. 8. The Bhabra Edict, of about the same date as the Minor Rock Edicts. The Fourteen Rock Edicts contain an exposition of Asoka's principles of government and ethical system, each edict being devoted to a special subject. The dif- ferent recensions vary considerably, and some do not include all the fourteen edicts. The whole series, in all its varieties, is confined to remote frontier provinces, which were under the government of viceroys. The emperor evidently was of opinion that in the home prov- inces, under his immediate control, it was not necessary to engrave his instructions on the rocks, as other and more convenient methods of publication were available. But many years later he perpetuated his revised code in the home provinces also by incising it upon several of the monolithic monumental pillars which it was his pleasure to erect in numerous localities. The two Kalinga Edicts are special supplements to