Kaurvaki was the "Second Queen Consort" of the third Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka The Great. She was Ashoka's fourth wife and 2nd queen consort. She was the mother of Ashoka's fourth son, Prince Tivala.

Life

Kaurvaki 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, Karuvaki 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 Kaurvaki: "On the order of the Beloved of the Gods, the officers everywhere are to be instructed that whatever may be the gift of the second queen, whether a mango-grove, a monastery, an institution for dispensing charity or any other donation, it is to be counted to the credit of that queen ... the second queen, the mother of Tīvala, Kaurvakī."

In popular culture

Sources