Ashoka

(c. 304 BC - c. 238 BC)

After brutally conquering the Kalinga region of India, Mauryan emperor Ashoka felt such great remorse that he renounced armed warfare and began widely promoting Buddhist dharma, preaching its values of compassion, benevolence, peace, and humility. He publicized these new beliefs by inscribing them as edicts on deliberately located rocks and pillars throughout ancient India, which helped popularize Buddhism in the region, and practiced them by building hospitals, distributing medicines, digging wells, and advocating for the improved treatment of animals. After his death, the Mauryan empire collapsed; the good works were terminated.