Hello guys 😊
Uff, what a long thread. Took me a while to read through it, though I confess that I skimmed some parts 😛
Very interesting information - it's really nice of those of you who have knowledge in this area to share it with us! As I have almost no idea about Indian history, it's especially helpful for people like me. And thanks for all the clarifications made- Mir Khorasan and Noor confused me, too. Even if they are Persians, Noor is actually of Arabic origins (meaning 'holy' light, found in 24th Sura of the Quran, Al-Nr). And as Meself has mentioned, typical Persian names of that era would be Xerxes, Darius etc...
And Justin - that sounds too modern for my taste. Even though it's strange that Chandragupta wouldn't give his son (if he existed, that is) an Indian name, there are awesome Greek ones to choose from!
I'm curious whether they will (later on) portray Ashok as a shady character - which he, apparently, was. Killing Sushim... okay, if the guy had any hand in Ashok's mother's death, his reasons are understandable. But why the other brothers (if that is even true)? If for the throne alone or other selfish reasons, it adds some dark shadows to his character, his 'demon' side as someone else has labelled it. Adding to that the wars he waged... Personally, I find it interesting, grey characters are pretty fascinating. But I'm not sure if they will not change these aspects, too, by making everyone else pure evil to excuse' Ashok's actions.
Is it even true that he had 98 brothers? Somehow, I highly doubt that. And if it is true... well, it'd be a massacre that Ashok did! But I, too, read that since the murder of the brothers was mentioned in Buddhist sources (mainly), it's highly possible that they exaggerated specific things, making Ashok crueler than he had truly been to show his transformation to a Buddhist in a greater light. It sounds logical. And personally, I believe that a ruler shouldn't be pacifistic, at least not completely - he shouldn't be averse to fighting and wars, but simultaneously, he should never incite a war, himself, especially not out of selfish reasons.
Btw, I came to watch Chandragupta Maurya because of this here as I was curious about that show, too. How historically accurate was that one, if any of you know it? It's alright, so far, I guess, though I had my problems with the portrayal of Alexander. But Chanakya in that one seems far more ruthless than in Ashoka (positively saying) - though, I do like the Chanakya in Ashoka, too, I have to admit. Though, in the last few episodes, I got the feeling that he was rather neglected.
As for Siddhart- I enjoy his acting immensely, so I hope that he'll stay for a long time^^ Depending on what they do with the elder Ashok (choose the clich romance-story or the one with more depth, whether they focus too much on the romance or not, how they explain Ashok's transformation- or if they show him as a ruthless king, at all) I might lose interest (which I hope I don't).
Anyway, do you guys have any good recommendations for books on Ashok? I know Ashoka the Great' by Wytze Keuning, but it's pretty expensive here. And is it true that up till the 20th century, King Ashoka was largely unknown (as I read in the preface of "Ashoka, The Search for India's Lost Emperor" by Charles Allen- does anyone know the book, by the way? Is it worth reading?)?
Lol, Sorry for all those questions - but I hope someone can help me out 😊
Cricket
Anupamaa
