Pataliputra (in Magadha, present-day Patna)
Ashoka had created one of the largest empires in ancient India and then renounced it all to become a Jain monk.
One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka expanded Chandragupta's empire and reigned over a realm that stretched from present-day Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. It covered the entire Indian subcontinent except for parts of present-day Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
The empire's capital was Pataliputra (in Magadha, present-day Patna), with provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain.
