Sasaram is a major town located midway between Bodh Gaya and Varanasi, in Kaimur District, Bihar. On top of a hill in this area lies a rock inscription of Emperor Ashoka, engraved on a stone slab in the Prakrit language using the Brahmi script. The inscription reads as follows:
Line 1: Devānaṃ piye hevaṃ āha ..... piyāni savacchālāni (saṃvaccharāni) aṃ upāsake sumi na cu bāḍhaṃ alakante
Line 2: Savacchale (saṃvacchare) sādhike aṃ .......... etena ca antalena jambudīpasi anmisandevā santa
Line 3: Munisā misandeva kaṭā pala... iyaṃ phale no ... yaṃ mahatala ca cakiye pāvatave khudakena pi phala-
Line 4: Kamanīne vipule pi suaga ... kiye ālā .... ve se etāye aṭhāye iyaṃ sāvaṇe khudakā ca udālā ca pa-
Line 5: Lakamantu antā pi ca jāṇantu cilaṭhitike (ciraṭhitike) ca palākame hotu iyaṃ ca aṭhe (aṭṭhe) vadisati vipulaṃ pi ca vaṭhisati
Line 6: Diyādiyaṃ avadhiyeṇa diyaḍiyaṃ vaṭhisati iyaṃ ca sāvaṇe vivuthena dhuvaṃ sapannā lāti-
Line 7: Satā vivuthā ti 200 40 ima ca aṭhaṃ (aṭṭhaṃ) pavatesu likhāpayāthā ya...vā a..
Line 8: Thi hetā silāṭhambhā tata pi likhāpayatha ti
Translation:
“I have declared myself an upāsaka (lay follower of the Buddha) for one year, but I have not exerted much effort. A year or more has passed... and during that time, the people of Jambudīpa (India) were not associated with the devas (divine beings). Now, I have brought about a connection between humans and the devas. This is the result of effort... Not only the high-born can attain heavenly realms; even the solitary and lowly can reach them if they strive earnestly.
Therefore, this declaration has been issued for this very purpose: to encourage both the lowly and the noble to exert effort, and to inform the people in my realm of this possibility. This diligence shall endure for a long time. I will push this initiative forward significantly—by at least one and a half times its current pace.
This decree was issued while I was on tour. At that time, I had spent 256 nights on tour. Let this message be inscribed on stone. And wherever there are stone pillars throughout my empire, this message shall be inscribed there as well.”
This inscription reveals Emperor Ashoka’s personal transition after embracing Buddhism. He admits to initially being a less diligent upāsaka but later developed a deeper understanding of the Dhamma. The inscription notes that in earlier times, the people of Jambudīpa had little connection with the devas, but under Ashoka’s influence, a spiritual bond was re-established. His aim was to spiritually uplift his people, irrespective of status.
In 1969 CE (2512 BE), some members of the Muslim community began building a mosque near the site of this inscription. Over time, the area was taken over, and the historic edict was completely covered with a green cloth. Tourists and visitors were no longer allowed to view the monument.
In 2015 CE (2558 BE), the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) ordered the green cloth to be removed and declared the area a protected monument. However, the issue remains unresolved. Just last year, the official signage designating it as a government-protected site was taken down.
