Answer - In the nineteenth century, when historians began to compose the early history of India, the Maurya Empire was considered a major period in history. At that time India was a colonial country under British rule. Indian historians of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries found the prospect of such an empire in ancient India both challenging and exciting. Also all the archeology of the Maurya period including stone sculptures were evidence of a wonderful art which is considered to be the identity of the empire. Historians felt that the messages written on the inscriptions were different from the inscriptions of other rulers. They realized that Ashoka was a very powerful and hardworking ruler as compared to other kings. Ashoka was also polite compared to the later kings who used to add big titles to their names. That's why the nationalist leaders of the 20th century also considered Ashoka as a source of inspiration.