By the fourth century BCE ______ was the capital and one of the largest city in Asia, subsequently its importance declined. When the Chinese pilgrim Xung Zang visited the city in the seventh century CE, he found it in ruins, and with very small population.

Pataliputra

The correct answer is Option (1) → Pataliputra

By the fourth century BCE Pataliputra was the capital and one of the largest city in Asia, subsequently its importance declined. When the Chinese pilgrim Xung Zang visited the city in the seventh century CE, he found it in ruins, and with very small population.

History of Pataliputra: Each city had a history of its own. Pataliputra, for instance, began as a village known as Pataligrama. Then, in the fifth century BCE, the Magadhan rulers decided to shift their capital from Rajagaha to this settlement and renamed it. By the fourth century BCE, it was the capital of the Mauryan Empire and one of the largest cities in Asia. Subsequently, its importance apparently declined. When the Chinese pilgrim Xuan Zang visited the city in the seventh century CE, he found it in ruins, and with a very small population.