Karuvaki
Wife and Second Chief Queen of the emperor Ashoka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karuvaki was the "Second Queen Consort"[1] of the third Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka The Great. She was Ashoka's fourth wife and 2nd Empress consort. She was the mother of Ashoka's fourth son, Prince Tivala.
| Karuvaki | |
|---|---|
| Empress Consort of the Mauryan Empire | |
The "Queen's edict" in Prayagraj mentions the charitable deeds of Karuvaki. | |
| Born | Kalinga |
| Spouse | Ashoka The Great |
| Issue | Prince Tivala |
| Dynasty | Maurya |
| Religion | Buddhism |
Life
Karuvaki is mentioned in the Queen Edict wherein her religious and charitable donations were recorded as per her wishes. This gives an image of her being a self-possessed and strong-willed consort, who wanted an act of philanthropy recorded as specifically hers.[2][3]
The edict also identifies her as mother to their son, Prince Tivala (also referred to as Tivara), who is the only son of Ashoka mentioned by name in his inscriptions.[4][5][6]
Despite the fact that Ashoka had many queens, Karuvaki is the only queen of Ashoka who was named in his inscriptions and edicts.[7][8]
Queen's Edict
The Queen's Edict on the Allahabad Pillar refers to the charitable deeds of Karuvaki:[9][10]
On the order of the Beloved of the Gods, the officers everywhere are to be instructed that whatever may be the gift of the second queen, whether a mango-grove, a monastery, an institution for dispensing charity or any other donation, it is to be counted to the credit of that queen ... the second queen, the mother of Tīvala, Karuvakī.[11]
In popular culture
- Karuvaki was portrayed by Kareena Kapoor in the 2001 Bollywood film, Aśoka.[12]
- Saumya Seth portrays Karuvaki in Colors TV's 2015 historical drama, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat while Reem Sheikh portrays the young Karuvaki.[13]
- She is the main character of The Ashoka Trilogy, The Prince of Pataliputra by Shreyas Bhave.
- Kalinga Karuvaki Award established by Kalinga Literary Festival to honour the great warrior princess of Kalinga[14]
- Mallika Singh portrays Karuvaki in Ekta Kapoor's historical drama series Pracchand Ashok on Colors TV.[15]