Karuvaki was the second queen of the third Mauryan emperor,
Ashoka
Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...
. She was also the mother of Ashoka's son, Prince
Tivala.
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.
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.
Despite the fact that Ashoka had many queens, Kaurwaki is the only queen of Ashoka, who was named in his inscriptions and edicts.
Queen's Edict
The Queen's Edict on the
Allahabad Pillar refers to the charitable deeds of Karuvaki:
In popular culture
* Karuvaki was portrayed by
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; '' née'' Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a va ...
in the 2001
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film, ''
Aśoka
Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...
''.
*
Saumya Seth
Soumya Seth is a former Indian television actress. She gained popularity by playing the role of Navya in the serial '' Navya..Naye Dhadkan Naye Sawaal''. She portrayed the role of Kaurwaki in '' Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat''. She worked in shows ...
portrays Karuvaki in
Colors TV's 2015 historical drama, ''
Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat'' while
Reem Sheikh
Reem Sameer Shaikh is an Indian actress, known for her works in Indian television and Hindi cinema. Her most notable work includes '' Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha'', ''Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat'', '' Tujhse Hai Raabta'', ''Gul Makai'' and '' ...
portrays the young Karuvaki.
*She is the main character of
The Ashoka Trilogy, The Prince of Pataliputra by Shreyas Bhave.
*Kalinga Karubaki Award established by
Kalinga Literary Festival
The Kalinga Literary Festival ( Odia: କଳିଙ୍ଗ ସାହିତ୍ୟ ମହୋତ୍ସବ), also known as KLF, is a literary festival which takes place annually in the Indian city Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Rashmi Ranjan Parida is the founder ...
to honour the great warrior princess of Kalinga
References
Sources
* * {{cite book , last=Smith , first=Vincent Arthur , author-link=Vincent Arthur Smith , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4o_URem5WMcC , title=Ashoka, the Buddhist Emperor of India , publisher=Asian Educational Services, year=1920 , pages=215–219 , isbn=8120613031
3rd-century BC women
Women from Odisha
Kalinga (India)
History of Odisha
Indian Buddhists
Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism
Wives of Ashoka
3rd-century BC Indian people