Read the given paragraph and answer the following questions.

Chandragupta Maurya, establishing the Mauryan Empire after defeating Dhana Nanda around 321 BCE, ushered in a period of unprecedented unification in North India. Governing until 298 BCE, he eventually abdicated his throne in favor of his son, embracing Jainism and undertaking Sallekhana at Shravanabelagola, where a memorial now stands in his honor. The Mauryan Empire, with its capital at Pataliputra, thrived until 185 BCE, featuring a centralized administration that influenced regions as far as Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Ashoka, Chandragupta’s grandson, revolutionized governance by directly communicating with his subjects through the Ashoka edicts, emphasizing dharma over conquest as evidenced by his reflections on the Kalinga war. However, the empire's decline was marked by the assassination of the last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha, by his general, Pushyamitra Shunga, who founded the Sunga dynasty, closing a significant chapter in ancient Indian history.