Subhadrangi

Subhadrangi
Empress consort of the Maurya Empire
Spouse Bindusara
Issue
Dynasty Maurya
Religion Ajivika

Subhadrangi (also known as Dharma or Janapadakalyani) was, according to Buddhist sources, a wife of the Mauryan emperor, Bindusara and the mother of his successor, Ashoka. The Ashokavadana states that Subhadrangi was the daughter of a Brahmin from the city of Champa. The legends state that palace politics kept her away from Bindusara and when she finally gained access to him and bore him a son, she is said to have exclaimed, "I am now without sorrow", which led to the child being named Ashoka. The name of her second son, Vitashoka (meaning sorrow terminated) has a similar provenance.[1]:332[2]

The Divyavadana calls her Dharma while the Vamsatthapakasini, a 10th-century commentary on the Mahavamsa,[1]:321 names her as Janapadakalyani.[1]:332

References

  1. 1 2 3 Singh, Upinder (2008). A history of ancient and early medieval India : from the Stone Age to the 12th century. New Delhi: Pearson Education. pp. 321–332. ISBN 9788131711200. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  2. Thapar, Romila (1961). Aśoka and the decline of the Mauryas (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 21. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  3. Playing onscreen mother was a challenge: Pallavi Subhash, IBN Live, 31 January 2015


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