Ashoka sent his only daughter Sanghamitra and sonMahindra to spread Buddhism in Sri Lanka (then knownas Tamraparni).As a Buddhist emperor, Ashoka believedthat Buddhism is beneficial for all human beings aswell as animals and plants, so he built a number ofstupas, Sangharama, viharas, chaitya, and residencesfor Buddhist monks all over South Asia and CentralAsia.