Ashok Full Movie Download
Eliecer Brathwaite
Published by The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and Interior Design Magazine, Ashok Sinha specializes in photographing architectural and interior spaces. His work depicts the design elegance of commercial, residential and educational institutions. Selected corporate commissions include work for the New York Stock Exchange, HLW, Rogers Partners, Mitchell Giurgola and di Domenico + Partners among others.
In addition to his core subject matter of architectural and interior spaces, Sinha's fine art photography shows a sensitivity to, and affinity for, the natural world and the people who inhabit it. Ashok's photographs have been exhibited at The Museum of the City of New York, the International Center of Photography and The Royal Photographic Society among others. With a honed eye for capturing compelling moments that run the gamut from the humble to the grandiose, Ashok's lens captures his love of life and diverse global cultures.
Dear Mr. Gehry,\r\nI love the work you do and thanks for taking the time to visit this page. I wanted to share the story behind the photograph that I sent you. \r\nIt was shot on assignment in Rio de Janeiro for an editorial travel story. It was my first time there and I was struck by the architectural form and shape of Oscar Niemeyer's Museum of Contemporary Art.\r\nAlthough the UFO-like structure of the building was the centerpiece, the curving concrete ramp leading up to the museum's entrance caught my eye, with red hues of its hidden pathway reflected in the midday sun. As I was composing this shot, two friends leisurely strolled into my frame and stopped to enjoy the panoramic view of the surrounding Guanabara Bay and Rio's cityscape. And that's when I clicked the shutter to make this image.\r\nI am based in New York and would love to share some more work with you if you have 5-10 minutes for a quick meeting. If not, I hope you will take a moment to look through some of the images on the website.\r\nI understand you are very busy, and I appreciate you taking the time.\r\n\r\nBest,\r\nAshok.
NEW YORK CITY based, shooting worldwide\n(646) 522-1099\nas...@ashoksinha.com
\n\nPUBLISHED\nThe New York Times\nArchitectural Digest\nInterior Design\nBloomberg Pursuits\nWall Street Journal\nLos Angeles Magazine\nThe Guardian\nTIME\nLuxe Interiors + Design\nAbitare LIVING\nWallpaper\nFrame\nDaily Mail\ndesignboom\n\nBRANDS\nAdobe\nBrookfield Properties\nChase\nIntercontinental Hotels\nOri Living\nSennheiser\nZanotta\n\nDESIGN\nHLW International\nMitchell Giurgola\nReddymade\nLeyden Lewis Design Studio\nTwo Street Studios\nMBB Architects\nRogers Partners\nVerona Carpenter Architects\nBatliboi Studio\nHLB\nEXD Architecture\ndi Domenco + Partners\nBuilding Studio Architects\nAKRF\nTirschwell Lighting\n\nGALLERIES\nUprise Art\ntreat Gallery\nFront Room Gallery\n
Ashoka's existence as a historical emperor had almost been forgotten, but since the decipherment in the 19th century of sources written in Brahmi script, Ashoka holds a reputation as one of the greatest Indian emperors. The emblem of the modern Republic of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka. Ashoka's wheel, the Ashoka Chakra, is adopted at the centre of the National Flag of India.
Information about Ashoka from his inscriptions; other inscriptions that mention him or are possibly from his reign; and ancient literature, especially Buddhist texts.[9] These sources often contradict each other, although various historians have attempted to correlate their testimony.[10]
Ashoka's inscriptions are the earliest self-representations of imperial power in the Indian subcontinent.[11] However, these inscriptions are focused mainly on the topic of dhamma, and provide little information regarding other aspects of the Maurya state or society.[10] Even on the topic of dhamma, the content of these inscriptions cannot be taken at face value. In the words of American academic John S. Strong, it is sometimes helpful to think of Ashoka's messages as propaganda by a politician whose aim is to present a favourable image of himself and his administration, rather than record historical facts. [12]
A small number of other inscriptions also provide some information about Ashoka.[10] For example, he finds a mention in the 2nd century Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman.[13] An inscription discovered at Sirkap mentions a lost word beginning with "Priyadari", which is theorised to be Ashoka's title "Priyadarshi" since it has been written in Aramaic of 3rd century BCE, although this is not certain.[14] Some other inscriptions, such as the Sohgaura copper plate inscription and the Mahasthan inscription, have been tentatively dated to Ashoka's period by some scholars, although others contest this. [15]
Much of the information about Ashoka comes from Buddhist legends, which present him as a great, ideal emperor.[16] These legends appear in texts that are not contemporary to Ashoka and were composed by Buddhist authors, who used various stories to illustrate the impact of their faith on Ashoka. This makes it necessary to exercise caution while relying on them for historical information.[17] Among modern scholars, opinions range from downright dismissal of these legends as mythological to acceptance of all historical portions that seem plausible.[18]
The Buddhist legends about Ashoka exist in several languages, including Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Chinese, Burmese, Khmer, Sinhala, Thai, Lao, and Khotanese. All these legends can be traced to two primary traditions:[19]
There are several significant differences between the two traditions. For example, the Sri Lankan tradition emphasizes Ashoka's role in convening the Third Buddhist council, and his dispatch of several missionaries to distant regions, including his son Mahinda to Sri Lanka.[19] However, the North Indian tradition makes no mention of these events. It describes other events not found in the Sri Lankan tradition, such as a story about another son named Kunala. [20]
Even while narrating the common stories, the two traditions diverge in several ways. For example, both Ashokavadana and Mahavamsa mention that Ashoka's empress Tishyarakshita had the Bodhi Tree destroyed. In Ashokavadana, the empress manages to have the tree healed after she realises her mistake. In the Mahavamsa, she permanently destroys the tree, but only after a branch of the tree has been transplanted in Sri Lanka.[21] In another story, both the texts describe Ashoka's unsuccessful attempts to collect a relic of Gautama Buddha from Ramagrama. In Ashokavadana, he fails to do so because he cannot match the devotion of the Nāgas who hold the relic; however, in the Mahavamsa, he fails to do so because the Buddha had destined the relic to be enshrined by King Dutthagamani of Sri Lanka. [22] Using such stories, the Mahavamsa glorifies Sri Lanka as the new preserve of Buddhism. [23]
Numismatic, sculptural, and archaeological evidence supplements research on Ashoka.[24] Ashoka's name appears in the lists of Mauryan emperors in the various Puranas. However, these texts do not provide further details about him, as their Brahmanical authors were not patronised by the Mauryans.[25] Other texts, such as the Arthashastra and Indica of Megasthenes, which provide general information about the Maurya period, can also be used to make inferences about Ashoka's reign.[26] However, the Arthashastra is a normative text that focuses on an ideal rather than a historical state, and its dating to the Mauryan period is a subject of debate. The Indica is a lost work, and only parts of it survive in the form of paraphrases in later writings.[10]
The 12th-century text Rajatarangini mentions a Kashmiri king Ashoka of Gonandiya dynasty who built several stupas: some scholars, such as Aurel Stein, have identified this king with the Maurya emperor Ashoka; others, such as Ananda W. P. Guruge dismiss this identification as inaccurate.[27]
For Christopher I. Beckwith, Ashoka, whose name only appears in the Minor Rock Edicts, is not the same as king Piyadasi, or Devanampiya Piyadasi (i.e. "Beloved of the Gods Piyadasi", "Beloved of the Gods" being a fairly widespread title for "King"), who is named as the author of the Major Pillar Edicts and the Major Rock Edicts.[28]
Beckwith suggests that Piyadasi was living in the 3rd century BCE, was probably the son of Chandragupta Maurya known to the Greeks as Amitrochates, and only advocated for piety ("Dharma") in his Major Pillar Edicts and Major Rock Edicts, without ever mentioning Buddhism, the Buddha, or the Sangha (the single notable exception is the 7th Edict of the Major Pillar Edicts which does mention the Sangha, but is a considered a later fake by Beckwith).[28] Also, the geographical spread of his inscription shows that Piyadasi ruled a vast Empire, contiguous with the Seleucid Empire in the West.[28]
However, many of Beckwith's methodologies and interpretations concerning early Buddhism, inscriptions, and archaeological sites have been criticized by other scholars, such as Johannes Bronkhorst and Osmund Bopearachchi.
Ashoka's inscriptions mention his title Devanampiya (Sanskrit: Devanampriya, "Beloved of the Gods"). The identification of Devanampiya and Ashoka as the same person is established by the Maski and Gujarra inscriptions, which use both these terms for the king.[34][35] The title was adopted by other kings, including the contemporary king Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura and Ashoka's descendant Dasharatha Maurya.[36]
Ashokavadana states that Ashoka's mother was the daughter of a Brahmin from Champa, and was prophesied to marry a king. Accordingly, her father took her to Pataliputra, where she was inducted into Bindusara's harem, and ultimately, became his chief empress.[43] The Ashokavadana does not mention her by name,[44] although other legends provide different names for her.[45] For example, the Asokavadanamala calls her Subhadrangi.[46][47] The Vamsatthapakasini or Mahavamsa-tika, a commentary on Mahavamsa, calls her "Dharma" ("Dhamma" in Pali), and states that she belonged to the Moriya Kshatriya clan.[47] A Divyavadana legend calls her Janapada-kalyani;[48] according to scholar Ananda W. P. Guruge, this is not a name, but an epithet.[46]
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