Ashoka (S. Aśoka; P Asoka; T. mya ngan med མྱ་ངན་མེད་; C. Ayu wang 阿育王), also known as "Ashoka the Great" or "Dharmāśoka," was the ruler of the Maurya Empire from approximately to BCE. He was one of India's greatest emperors, and a great patron of Buddhism.