Over 2000 years ago, there was an emperor called Asoka in India. Asoka ruled during the Maurya empire. Although some may think that Asoka was an “enlightened” ruler just because he spread Buddhism and gave rich gifts to the poor, like any historical figure, everyone has the so-called “Dark Side”. Much of his "dark side" is what makes Asoka not a legendary "enlightened" ruler, but a ruthless one. This is because he was responsible for killing many people and because he stopped fighting in wars only because he no longer had to fight for what he needed or wanted since there was no more land to fight for. He had everything under his control. This essay will demonstrate these reasons and why Ashoka was a cruel ruler. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay you may also like Atmanirbhar Bharat explored: India's path to self-reliance Asoka was responsible for killing many people. First, as a result of the battle for Kalinga, 100,000 Kalingans were killed in battle. The Kalingans could not escape as the land around Kalinga was under the rule of Asoka. When people got sick, they couldn't go out and buy medicine in nearby towns. So when people got sick, many died due to the lack of medicine and the inability to purchase it. Many Kalingans also starved to death. When Ashoka's soldiers came and invaded Kalinga, they did not worry about the crops. They trampled them, tearing down everything that prevented them from gaining the upper hand. Due to the destruction of their crops, the Kalingans ran out of food and starved. 100,000 Kalingans died killed in battle, 100,000 died of disease and starvation. In total, 200,000 Kalingans died during the war. It's all the fault of greedy Asoka. This proves that Asoka killed many people. He only stopped fighting in wars because he no longer had to fight for what he needed/there was no more land to fight for. Asoka caused so much destruction just because he wanted more money. Kalinga was partly surrounded by ocean, which was conducive to trade. Trade provided an easy source of money for the economy. Asoka didn't stop fighting in the war because he was enlightened, he stopped because there was no more land to fight for. He had ruled everything! Furthermore, he didn't stop because "he had all the land he wanted", he stopped because he no longer had any. If there were more or more enemies, Asoka would do so and fight causing more destruction than he already had. These are the real reasons why Asoka stopped fighting in wars. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay Overall, this essay proves that Ashoka was a ruthless and selfish ruler because he killed many people and stopped fighting in war only because in the end he had nothing left or something useful for him.