User:Ashoka/Ashoka's and his sons' Asvamedha of Yunnan

Ashoka's Ashvamedha of Yunnan
Part of Ashoka's conquests
Date unknown Location Yunnan, China Result Mauryan victory Ashoka's first son obtained a green jade cock on a hill Ashoka's second son settled down in Dianchi Mauryan descendants intermarried with Han people which created the Bai (white) people
Belligerents
Mauryan Empire	unknown
Commanders and leaders
Ashoka's sons	unknown
Strength
unknown	unknown

Background

In the first century BC, when Yunnan became part of the Chinese Han empire, Indians known as 'Shendu' in Chinese records were among the local ethnic groups. From then until the fourteenth century, the term 'Maharaja' was used to refer to certain local kings in Yunnan, especially the ruler of Dali. This is recorded in Chinese historical documents from the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279-1368) and Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644), where 'mokuo luocuo' is a Chinese version of 'Maharaja'.

Mauryan conquests of Yunnan

During the Yuan Dynasty, a Chinese book, whose author's name is unknown, recounts an intriguing story. According to this tale, the three sons of the renowned Indian king Ashoka were chasing a golden horse that appeared in Magadha and fled eastwards. Eventually, the third son caught the horse on a hill near Lake Dianchi in Yunnan. This event led the locals to name the hill 'Jinmashan' (Hill of Golden Horse). Ashoka's first son also arrived at the shore of Dianchi Lake and found a green jade cock on another hill, naming it 'Bijishan' (Green Jade Cock Hill). The second son of Ashoka settled on the banks of Dianchi Lake. Ashoka subsequently sent his brother-in-law to find them, and he too settled in Yunnan along with the three nephews. Over time, their descendants intermarried with the Han Chinese and formed a new ethnic group known as the Bai (White) people.