Reveals how the persona of Indias most famous emperor was constantly reinvented in ancient times to suit a variety of social visions political agendas and moral purposes.Blending travelogue history and archaeology Searching for Ashoka unravels the various avatars of Indias most famous emperor revealing how he came to be rememberedand forgottenin distinctive ways at particular points in time and in specific locations. Through personal journeys that take her across India and to various sites and cities in Sri Lanka Myanmar and Thailand archaeologist Nayanjot Lahiri explores how Ashokas visibility from antiquity to the modern era has been accompanied by a reinvention of his persona. Although the historical Ashoka spoke expansively of his ideas of governance and a new kind of morality his afterlife is a jumble of stories and representations within various Buddhist imaginings. By remembering Ashoka selectively Lahiri argues ancient kings and chroniclers created an artifice constantly appropriating and then remolding history to suit their own social visions political agendas and moral purposes.