Kalinga, Conquest of, was a turning point in the life and reign of Emperor Ashoka, the greatest ruler of ancient India. Ashoka was eager to acquire Kalinga (now Odisha), an area that controlled trade routes to the south. Kalinga was a huge region located between the Godavari and Mahanadi rivers. The conquest took place in 261 and 260 B.C. It resulted in the deaths of 100,000 people, and the capture of 150,000.
Ashoka declared that he was filled with grief and remorse at all the killing. He gave up war and the taking of life, and preached tolerance for all religions. He recommended Buddhist ideals as the highest moral code, and from that time on, he helped to spread Buddhism to Burma, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and China. Ashoka also laid the foundations of a welfare state, for which he planted trees, built temples, and set up hospitals and animal sanctuaries.
