Grateful nation remembers Ashoka — if only for swelling the holiday ranks

With Christmas just around the corner, it may be germane to remember that there is still no unanimity on which year Jesus was born — there is no mention of it in the Bible — or, indeed, whether December 25 was definitely the hallowed day. Of course, it is certain that Jesus was born some centuries after the great Mauryan emperor Ashoka, and his followers did not wait for a couple of millennia to elapse before deciding on the likely birth date. Even so, the eastern and western churches still differed on that issue for a few centuries. But that is nothing compared to the plight of the legendary Mauryan ruler, who has had to wait over 2,320 years for the newly elected legislators of Bihar — once the core of his ancient empire — to finally set a date for his birthday. That the real date was possibly deemed irrelevant during his actual long reign — there is no mention of it in his edicts or later epigraphy — does not seem to matter to Ashoka’s latter-day fans.

Still, considering some aver that December 25 was chosen for its pre-Christian significance, Ashoka’s post-Magadhan descendants cannot be faulted for choosing April 14. After all, not only is it the birth date of the another famous convert to Buddhism, Dr B R Ambedkar, it is also celebrated as New Year’s Day in many parts of India. A government holiday would, therefore, be much appreciated. Who will be next?