During the reign of Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC (269-232 BC), Pataliputra was said to have been the world's one of the largest cities, with a huge population. The city has been known by various names during its course of long existence-such as, Pataligram, Pataliputra, Kusumpur, Pushpapura, and the present day Patna, which is the revived version of old Pataliputra. The city was originally built by Ajatashatru in 490BC as a small fort near the River Ganges and later the capital of the ancient Mahajanapadas kingdom of Magadha.