Editing Ashoka (section)

=== Tissarakkha as the empress ===
Ashoka's last dated inscription - the [[Major Pillar Edicts#Major Pillar Edict 4|Pillar Edict 4]] is from his 26th regnal year.{{sfn|Guruge|1995|p=51}} The only source of information about Ashoka's later years are the Buddhist legends. The Sri Lankan tradition states that Ashoka's empress Asandhamitta died during his 29th regnal year, and in his 32nd regnal year, his wife [[Tishyaraksha|Tissarakkha]] was given the title of empress.{{sfn|Guruge|1995|p=51}}

Both ''Mahavamsa'' and ''Ashokavadana'' state that Ashoka extended favours and attention to the [[Bodhi Tree]], and a jealous Tissarakkha mistook "Bodhi" to be a mistress of Ashoka. She then used black magic to make the tree wither.{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=152}} According to the ''Ashokavadana'', she hired a sorceress to do the job, and when Ashoka explained that "Bodhi" was the name of a tree, she had the sorceress heal the tree.{{sfn|Strong|1995|pp=152–153}} According to the ''Mahavamsa'', she completely destroyed the tree,{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=153}} during Ashoka's 34th regnal year.{{sfn|Guruge|1995|p=51}}

The ''Ashokavadana'' states that Tissarakkha (called "Tishyarakshita" here) made sexual advances towards Ashoka's son Kunala, but Kunala rejected her. Subsequently, Ashoka granted Tissarakkha emperorship for seven days, and during this period, she tortured and blinded Kunala.{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=151}} Ashoka then threatened to "tear out her eyes, rip open her body with sharp rakes, impale her alive on a spit, cut off her nose with a saw, cut out her tongue with a razor." Kunala regained his eyesight miraculously, and pleaded for mercy for the empress, but Ashoka had her executed anyway.{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=152}} Kshemendra's ''Avadana-kalpa-lata'' also narrates this legend, but seeks to improve Ashoka's image by stating that he forgave the empress after Kunala regained his eyesight.{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=165}}