Pataliputra (modern-day Patna) was the capital and administrative center of the Mauryan Empire.

Brihadratha was the last Mauryan ruler. He was assassinated by his own commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Shunga, in 185 BCE.

Ashoka sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) to spread the teachings of Buddha.

The Third Buddhist Council was held at Pataliputra under the patronage of Ashoka and was presided over by the monk Moggaliputta Tissa.

India's National Emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka from Sarnath, which features four lions standing back to back.

The common language used in the majority of Ashokan edicts was Prakrit, which was the language of the common masses at the time.

The majority of Ashoka's inscriptions found in India are written in the Brahmi script, while those in the northwest use Kharoshthi, Aramaic, or Greek.

James Prinsep, a British antiquary and colonial administrator, deciphered the Brahmi script used in Ashokan inscriptions in 1837.

Major Rock Edict XIII contains a detailed description of the Kalinga War and expresses Ashoka's deep remorse over the slaughter.

The Kalinga War took place in the eighth year of Ashoka's coronation, which corresponds to approximately 261 BCE.