The given map relates to:
UPSC CSE Pre. 1998
A. Kaniska at the time of his death.
B. Samudragupta after the close of his South Indian campaign.
C. Ashoka towards the close of his reign.
D. Empire of Thaneswar on the eve of Harsha's accession.
Answer: Ashoka towards the close of his reign.
Option c is the correct answer.
The given map shows the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka towards the close of his reign ( 232 BCE ). The empire stretched from the Himalayas in the north to the Deccan plateau in the south, and from the Hindu Kush mountains in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east. The capital of the empire was Pataliputra (modern Patna).