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Ashoka's Hell
Ashoka's Hell was, according to legend, an elaborate torture chamber disguised as a beautiful palace full of amenities such as exclusive baths and decorated with flowers, fruit trees and ornaments. It was built by Emperor Ashoka (304–232 BCE) in Pataliputra (modern-day Patna, India), the capital city of the Maurya Empire. The torture palace's legend is detailed in the ''Ashokavadana'', the text that describes Emperor Ashoka's life through both legendary and historical accounts. According to legend, the palatial torture chamber was artfully designed to make its exterior visually pleasing, and was referred to as the "beautiful gaol". Beneath the veneer of beauty and deep inside the exclusive mansion, however, chambers were constructed filled with sadistic and cruel instruments of torture—including furnaces used to melt the metals that were to be poured on prisoners. The narrative states the chamber's architect drew inspiration from the five tortures of the Buddhist hell. The ''A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torture Chamber
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted.Princeton Wordnet definition of Torture chamber Wordnetweb.princeton.edu. Retrieved on 2011-08-30. The medieval torture chamber was windowless and often built underground, was lit by a few candles and was specifically designed to induce "horror, dread and despair" to anyone but those possessing a strong mind and "nerves of steel". Historically, torture chambers were located in royal palaces, in castles of the nobility and even buildings belonging to the church. They featured secret trap-doors which could be activated to throw victims into dark |
