Q. Who was the last ruler of the Maurya dynasty?
(a) Ashoka
(b) Kunal
(c) Brihadratha
(d) None of these
Answer: c
Read more: Multiple Choice Quiz Questions (MCQs) on Ancient Indian History
Brihadratha was the 9th and last Emperor of the Mauryan Empire. He ruled from 187 to 185 BCE, when he was killed by his general, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the Shunga Empire.
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia based in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE.
The empire was centralized by the conquest of the Indo-Gangetic Plain; its capital city was located at Pataliputra (modern Patna). Outside this imperial centre, the empire’s geographical extent was dependent on the loyalty of military commanders who controlled the armed cities scattered within it.
During Ashoka’s rule (ca. 268–232 BCE) the empire briefly controlled the major urban hubs and arteries of the Indian subcontinent excepting the Deep South. It declined for about 50 years after Ashoka’s rule, and dissolved in 185 BCE with the assassination of Brihadratha by Pushyamitra Shunga and foundation of the Shunga dynasty in Magadha.