99 Palms: Horn OK Please Read Free

guide, explained what the edicts really meant. We gathered that they are a collection of 33 inscriptions depicted on the Pillars of Ashoka , boulders and cave walls during Emperor Ashoka’s peaceful kingdom for about forty years or so. These inscriptions are scattered all across the areas of modern-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. Of these inscriptions, 14 of them are called the Major Rock Edicts.
    Walking down the hill, we were told that the real deal around the place is the ancient, archaeologically invaluable artifacts - the edicts of his awesomeness, the Great Emperor Ashoka. Nitiwit said that the philosophy of these edicts needs to be well understood, if we need to know about the myths and legends that haunt the place. I was listening intently for this place reeked of buried treasure.
    It is said that the edicts in Kalinga are special due to the inscriptions written on the 13 th rock. These are rare pieces of art. Many records or edicts of Emperor Ashoka that have been discovered across the world are major edicts. These are the same 14 major rock edicts. Since they didn’t have photocopiers back then, they had to chip all around the place with chisels and hammers to inscribe the same all around the world. Some copies of these 14 major, dude-edicts are located thousands of miles apart.
    These are quite different from the kind of rock records which we are used to, for we always prefer rock records on CDs or USB sticks, mostly composed by the Gods of Rock like Metallica and Led Zeppelin, bought from the local pirate on the street. These rock records caught our attention for they were radically different. Unlike CDs, these were not round and were made of rocks. They’re also a lot heavier.
    These edicts inscribed on rocks provide substantial information on the way of life as interpreted by an enlightened Emperor Ashoka. It is said that not all records have been discovered and some have vanished mysteriously while others have been lost beneath the sands of time.
    “The edicts of Emperor Ashoka in Kalinga have a special significance”, said Nitwit, as he expertly navigated through the bushes. It was beginning to drizzle now. The bracing dampness in the air was invigorating. “Ashoka left a large number of inscriptions on rocks and pillars. These inscriptions are his edicts or what one would call his philosophies and guidelines. These are his instructions. He dictated these instructions to his scribes in a place called Paṭaliputra or what is known as Patna today, in the State of Bihar. He had them carved and inscribed in conspicuous places throughout his kingdom so everyone could read and follow them.”
    We were listening intently as he continued to speak excitedly, “All the edicts in Orissa are administrative and you’ll find copies of the same elsewhere across the region. But what’s special about this place is the two special edicts that are only found here and not elsewhere”, our guide went on, “There are sixteen rock edicts around the place. The rock edicts found in Kalinga include numbers one to ten and number fourteen. There are two special Kalinga edicts that mysteriously seem to express Emperor Ashoka’s concern for the welfare of the whole world and the remorse felt  by him after the war of Kalinga.”
    Not worrying too much about all the discovered rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka, it was evident that there was a specific rock edict he would want us to focus upon. “So much needless information for two hundred bucks, what a waste of money”, I muttered under my breath as ignorance reared its ugly head once it took flight from the safe confines of my crotch, flew all the way up to my face and bared itself on my face.
    Our flunkey and local guide, Nitwit, hurried down the hill like a mountain goat, towards what seemed like an edifice of a massive, rock-cut elephant named ‘Amravati’ . This elephant, Nitwit explained, is the earliest Buddhist sculpture of Orissa. Hewn from a rock, this