The Mauryan Polity c11.s3.t6.12

c11.s3.t6.12

To conclude, the fact that Aśoka enlarged the stūpa sacred to Konākamana whom orthodox Buddhism would style as heretic, and also the fact that three caves were erected in the Barābar Hills for the Ājīvikas, the rival sect of the Buddhists, are sufficient to tell the true tale, viz., that the emperor had the same amount of sympathy which he had for Buddhism, for other sects as well, which were to all intents and purposes its rivals. It is quite obvious that the extant monuments eloquently voice forth the catholicity of his religious views, the most wonderful and the best relieving feature of the Hindu religion. It is not easy to believe that such ferocious animals as the lion and elephant symbolise the Buddha himself, the enlightened sage of Kapilavastu. Neither the monuments nor the animal symbolism can carry home the conviction and decide the religious leaning of this emperor to Buddhism.