A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c9.s1.3

c9.s1.3

Early in life the emperor became a convert to the Buddhist religion, and as the years rolled on his zeal increased, so that his energies and riches were devoted almost exclusively to the work of honouring and propagating the teaching of his Master, Gautama Buddha, the sage of the Sakyas. With one exception, he abstained from wars of conquest, and was thus free to concentrate his attention upon the task to which his life was consecrated.¹