Kunala

Kunala (IAST: ) (263 BC – ?) was the Crown Prince and second son of 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and Padmavati and the presumptive heir to Ashoka, thus the heir to the Mauryan Empire which once ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent. After the departure of Mahendra, Ashoka's eldest son, he was supposed to be the heir to the empire, but was blinded by his step-mother, Tishyaraksha, at a young age in jealousy. While he was not able to take the throne, his son, Samprati, became his heir.

Kunala also served as the Viceroy of Taxila during the reign of his father, having been appointed to the position in 235 BCE.

Significance of name Kunal also means "bird with beautiful eyes", "someone who sees beauty in everything" or "one with beautiful eyes".

Early life At the age of eight, Ashoka sent his son to Ujjain, to be brought up and carry out his princely education, to become the heir to the throne of the Mauryan Empire. According to Charles Allen, Kunal seem to be heading a powerful Buddhist faction and the new queen headed a non-Buddhist faction, which was ultimately crushed.