Podcast Summary

Overview

Episode Title:
Nayanjot Lahiri, "Searching for Ashoka: Questing for a Buddhist King from India to Thailand" (SUNY Press, 2023)

Podcast:
New Books Network – New Books in Indian Religions

Host:
Dr. Raj Balkaran

Guest:
Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri, Professor of History, Ashoka University

Air Date:
November 29, 2025

This episode centers on Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri’s new book, Searching for Ashoka: Questing for a Buddhist King from India to Thailand. The conversation explores Emperor Ashoka’s historical persona, how he has been remembered and reinvented across time and place, and the broader questions of historical memory, governance, and the crafting of accessible scholarship.

Main Topics and Discussion Points

1. Genesis and Purpose of the Book

[05:24]

• The book serves as a sequel to Lahiri’s earlier work, Ashoka in Ancient India.
• Prompted by her travels and research, Lahiri became fascinated with the “ways Ashoka was remembered in various places.”
• The new book expands the inquiry from India to sites in Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, examining Ashoka’s memory and transformation in different cultures.

2. Why Ashoka is a Unique Figure

[07:53]

• Unlike rulers remembered for military conquests (Alexander, Julius Caesar), Ashoka is remembered for his communication and moral vision.
• After the brutal Kalinga war, Ashoka’s remorse became a turning point, leading him to prioritize moral governance over conquest.
• Notable for his direct communication—Ashoka’s edicts, inscribed in stone and visible in over 50 locations, outlined humane and progressive governance: compassion for animals, more dignified treatment of prisoners, promotion of morality (“dhamma tours”).

Quote:
"Here is a ruler who has won this big military conquest...but he paints himself as a villain of the carnage...He then sees that as a watershed in his life."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [08:27]

3. Ashoka’s Messaging: Genuine Morality or Political Positioning?

[12:25]

• Lahiri suggests Ashoka’s outreach was not merely pragmatic; he genuinely pioneered a new model of moral governance.
• While famously a Buddhist king, Ashoka’s edicts address all communities—Brahmans as well as Shramans (ascetic groups).
• His environmental and social reforms extended beyond religious concerns—they codified a new ethical approach to rule.

Quote:
"My sense is that...he’s putting out there a new way of moral governance which is quite unique. And that for him is a spiritual victory."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [13:03]

4. Structure of the Book

[15:50]

• The core of the book explores Ashoka’s reconceptualizations at various sites: Bihar, Karnataka, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar.
• The introduction covers Ashoka’s own words and how he chose to remember and represent himself.
• The conclusion examines the diversity of Ashoka’s memory—while manifestations differ, all derive from the archetype of the exemplary Buddhist king.

Quote:
"There is diversity in the images of him...but the derivation of each is recognizably from a core...Ashok actually never stopped being remembered as the exemplary Buddhist king."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [15:50]

5. Ashoka’s Legacy: Intended Memory versus Actual Remembrance

[19:00]

• Dr. Lahiri distinguishes between Ashoka’s dual avatars: as a visionary ruler and as a devout Buddhist.
  • The former—his unique governance style—is largely forgotten.
  • The latter—his Buddhist identity—remains central, especially in Southeast Asian memory.
• Ironically, Ashoka isn’t remembered in all the places he intended, but is revered in those he never directly addressed.

Quote:
"There is actually a disjunction between...how he wanted to be remembered and how he came to be remembered."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [19:26]

6. Conclusions and Takeaways

[22:48]

• The historical Ashoka is markedly different from the remembered Ashoka.
• Memory involves reinvention: every culture adapts Ashoka’s story for its own purposes.
• This phenomenon is paralleled in other historical and even modern figures (Gandhi’s example cited).

Quote:
"Ashok is visible, but he’s reinvented...the historical Ashok...that’s the theme which knits together all the remembrances of the king."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [22:48]

7. Writing Style and Accessible Scholarship

[27:58]

• Lahiri intentionally blends travelogue, history, and archaeology to reach non-academic audiences.
• She acknowledges her evolution from a "clinical" academic writer to a storyteller—encouraged by her editor to read Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster for inspiration.
• Her approach seeks to inspire excitement and curiosity, not only through empirical research but also through personal narrative and discovery.

Quote:
"It was very important to make it evident that this book actually blends travelogue and history and archaeology...I wanted to capture some of that in my book."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [27:58]

8. The Importance of Accessible Prose in Scholarship

[32:10], [35:32]

• Host and guest affirm the need for passion-driven and lucid scholarly writing.
• Lahiri notes accessible history is rare in South Asian academia but increasingly valued.
• Writers like Ramachandra Guha and Devika Rangachari (Lahiri’s student) are bridging this gap.

Quote:
"I get really put off...if it takes about ten pages to understand the argument...if I as an academic am put off, this must be putting off a whole lot of readers..."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [39:21]

9. Intended Audience for the Book

[41:04]

• General readers interested in Asian history, memory, and religion.
• Specialists in religious history, Buddhist studies, South Asian studies.
• Anyone interested in how historical figures and events are remembered and reinterpreted.

10. Lahiri’s Current and Upcoming Research

[42:44]

• New area: studying ancient Indian history through the lens of forests and wilderness, rather than cities or empires.
• Recent fieldwork includes archaeology in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
• Aims to “complete or extend” her historical understanding by exploring lived experiences in forested landscapes.

Quote:
"My project now is to try to see how different would the ancient Indian past look if I looked at it from the perspective of forest."
— Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri [42:57]

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "This book is actually a sequel to my earlier book...I started intensely missing Ashok."
  [05:24] – Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri

• "He is remembered not for...military exploits...but because he chose to speak to his people."
  [08:27] – Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri

• "Ashok is visible, but he's reinvented."
  [22:48] – Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri

• "It was very important to make it evident that this book actually blends travelogue and history and archaeology..."
  [27:58] – Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri

• "My project now is to try to see how different would the ancient Indian past look if I looked at it from the perspective of forest."
  [42:57] – Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri

Summary Table of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:24 | Genesis of the book; transitioning from previous Ashoka research | | 08:27 | Ashoka’s uniqueness: remorse, morality, and communication | | 12:25 | Motivations: moral ambition vs. political self-fashioning | | 15:50 | Book structure and diversity of Ashoka’s memory | | 19:00 | Disjunction: intended vs. actual remembrance | | 22:48 | Major takeaway – reinvention of memory | | 27:58 | Writing in accessible and passionate style | | 35:32 | The case for accessible scholarship in South Asian history | | 41:04 | Intended audience for the book | | 42:44 | Dr. Lahiri’s new project: archaeology and the ancient forest |

Closing Tone

The discussion is lively, reflective, and insightful, offering both a personal and scholarly window into Ashoka’s legacy, the construction of historical memory, and the possibilities for writing history in accessible, passionate ways. Dr. Lahiri’s commitment to reaching broader audiences while maintaining academic rigor shines throughout.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking an in-depth, accessible recap of Dr. Nayanjot Lahiri's New Books Network episode on Searching for Ashoka.