Emperor Ashoka commissioned the pillar inscription identifying Lumbini as the Buddha’s birthplace.
Ashoka ruled much of the Indian subcontinent during the third century BCE and became a major patron of Buddhism. A pillar at Lumbini bears an inscription stating that the Buddha was born there. The text records Ashoka’s visit and his reduction of a local tax, showing that the site had both religious and administrative significance.
The Lumbini inscription is especially important because it connects a living Buddhist tradition with an ancient royal record. It does not provide a complete biography of Siddhartha, but it confirms that Lumbini was revered as his birthplace by Ashoka’s time.
Ashoka is often described as spreading Buddhism, though the historical process involved patronage, missions, inscriptions, and institutional support rather than a single centralized campaign. He should not be confused with Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire and his grandfather.