The Edicts of Ashoka are a
collection of 33 i scriptions on the Pillars of
Ashoka, as well as boul ders and cave walls,
made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan
dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231
BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed
throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh,
India, Nepal and Pakistan and represent the first
tangible evidence of Buddhism. In these
inscriptions, Ashoka refers to himself as
"Beloved of the Gods" and "King Priya-darshi."
The identification of King Priya-darshi with
Ashoka was confirmed by an inscription
discovered in 1915 by C. Beadon at Maski, the
village in Raichur district of Karnataka. Another
minor rock edict is found at the village Gujarra
in Datia district Madhya Pradesh. This also
shows the Name "Asoka"in addition to usual
"Devanam Piyadasi".