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Ashoka's Major Rock Edict is one of the most important Edicts of Ashoka, and is located outside the town of Junagadh on the Saurashtra peninsula in the state of Gujarat, India. The edict is inscribed high up on a large, domed mass of black granite on Girnar, a collection of hills near the town. The difficulty in accessing this monument allows only the few Jain pilgrims willing to climb the mountain each year to visit the rock edict. Neatly etched on the rock surface is a pin-men^[1] inscription of Ashoka Brāhmī script, exceedingly more impressive than the much smaller replica positioned outside the entrance of New Delhi's National Museum.^[1]

The Major Rock Edict at Girnar is Ashoka's first rock edict, and reads as follows:

Ashoka's first rock inscription at Girnar, an example of Brāhmī script.

"Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, has caused this Dhamma edict to be written. Here (in my domain) no living beings are to be slaughtered or offered in sacrifice. Nor should festivals be held, for Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, sees much to object to in such festivals, although there are some festivals that Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, does approve of.

Formerly, in the kitchen of Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, hundreds of thousands of animals were killed every day to make curry. But now with the writing of this Dhamma edict only three creatures, two peacocks and a deer are killed, and the deer not always. And in time, not even these three creatures will be killed."^[2]

Ashoka was the third monarch of the Mauryan dynasty in India, anointed as emperor in 274 BCE, and is regarded as one of the most admirable rulers in world history.^[2] Although he is a major historical figure, little definitive information was known as there were no available records of his reign until the 19th century when a large number of his edicts, inscribed on rocks and pillars, were found in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These many edicts, of which Ashoka's Major Rock Edict was the first and most impressive, were concerned with practical instructions in running a kingdom such as the design of irrigation systems and descriptions of Ashoka's beliefs in peaceful moral behavior. They contain little personal detail about his life.^[2]

Ashoka's edicts were the first written inscriptions in India after the ancient city of Harrapa fell to ruin. He did not write the inscriptions in formal Sanskrit but used the vernacular spoken form called Prakrit. Ashoka's first edict is the only impressive edict remaining in its original state since most of his other edicts were either dismantled and transported to places of national importance after their discovery or formalised into a national monument.^[3]

1. ^ ^{a b} Keay, John (2000). India: A History. New York: Grove Press, pp 129-131. ISBN 0802137970. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} The Edicts of King Asoka. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
3. ^ The Life Of Ashoka Mauryan - His legacy. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.

• On The Origin Of The Early Indian Scripts