What was the name of the last ruler of the Maurya Empire?

The last ruler of the Maurya Empire was Brihadratha Maurya.

Brihadratha was the ninth and final Mauryan emperor, ruling during the empire’s declining phase around 187–185 BCE. By then, the vast realm created by Chandragupta Maurya and expanded under Ashoka had contracted considerably. The imperial capital remained Pataliputra, but Mauryan control over distant regions had weakened after Ashoka’s death.

Ancient sources indicate that Brihadratha succeeded Shatadhanvan and ruled for only about three years. His reign ended when his military commander, Pushyamitra Shunga, assassinated him during a military review in approximately 185 BCE. Pushyamitra then founded the Shunga dynasty, marking the end of the Mauryan imperial line in Magadha.

A frequent mistake is choosing Ashoka, the empire’s most famous ruler, as its last emperor. Ashoka was actually the third Mauryan ruler and died decades earlier, around 232 BCE. Dasharatha Maurya, another common distractor, succeeded Ashoka but ruled well before Brihadratha. Brihadratha’s overthrow represents the political transition from Mauryan to Shunga power in northern India.