Appalled by the estimated 100,000 deaths from the conquest around 260 BCE, Ashoka renounced armed conflict and adopted the Buddhist principle of ahimsa, or nonviolence.

Known as the Edicts of Ashoka, these massive sandstone columns were inscribed with his royal policies promoting religious tolerance, nonviolence, and social welfare.

His children, Mahinda and Sanghamitta, successfully converted the local king, helping establish Theravada Buddhism as the island's dominant religion to this day.