Ashokan Prakrit

Ashokan Prakrit
Ashokan Prakrit inscribed in the Brahmi script at Sarnath.
Region	South Asia
Era	268—232 BCE
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Ashokan Prakrit
Early forms	Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-Iranian Proto-Indo-Aryan
Writing system	Brahmi, Kharoshthi
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Bahapur Gujarra Saru Maru Udegolam Nittur Maski Siddapur Brahmagiri Jatinga Pakilgundu Rajula Mandagiri Yerragudi Sasaram Rupnath Bairat Bhabru Ahraura Barabar Taxila (Aramaic) Mahasthan Laghman (Aramaic) Maski Palkigundu Gavimath Jatinga/Rameshwara Rajula/Mandagiri Brahmagiri Udegolam Siddapur Nittur Ahraura Sasaram Kandahar (Greek and Aramaic) Kandahar Yerragudi Girnar Dhauli Khalsi Sopara Jaugada Shahbazgarhi Mansehra Sannati Sarnath Sanchi Lumbini Nigali Sagar Nigali Sagar Nandangarh Kosambi Topra Meerut Araraj Araraj,Rampurva Rampurva Ai Khanoum (Greek city) Pataliputra Ujjain class=notpageimage| Location of the Minor Rock Edicts (Edicts 1, 2 & 3) Other inscriptions often classified as Minor Rock Edicts. Location of the Major Rock Edicts. Location of the Minor Pillar Edicts. Original location of the Major Pillar Edicts. Capital cities

Ashokan Prakrit (or Aśokan Prākṛta) is the Middle Indo-Aryan dialect continuum used in the Edicts of Ashoka, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire who reigned 268 BCE to 232 BCE.^[1] The Edicts are inscriptions on monumental pillars and rocks throughout the Indian subcontinent that cover Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism and espouse Buddhist principles (e.g. upholding dhamma and ahimsa).

The Ashokan Prakrit dialects reflected local forms of the Early Middle-Indo-Aryan language. Three dialect areas are represented: Northwestern, Western, and Eastern. The Central dialect of Indo-Aryan is exceptionally not represented; instead, inscriptions of that area use the Eastern forms. ^{[2]: 50 [1]} Ashokan Prakrit is descended from an Old Indo-Aryan dialect closely related to Vedic Sanskrit, on occasion diverging by preserving archaisms from Proto-Indo-Aryan.

Ashokan Prakrit is attested in the Dhammalipi and the Kharoshthi script (only in the Northwest).