Chandragupta Maurya was an ardent follower of ________.

Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire, embraced Jainism in the later years of his life. He was initiated by the Jain monk Acharya Bhadrabahu. He abdicated his throne and traveled to Shravanabelagola (in present-day Karnataka), where he fasted to death following the Jain ritual of Santhara or Sallekhana.