 The Maurya Empire was divided into four provinces, which looked like giant crescents with the imperial capital at Pataliputra.From Ashoka's edicts, the names of the four provincial capitals are Tosali (in the east), Ujjain (in the west), Suvarnagiri (in the south), and Takshashila (in the north).The head of the provincial administration was the royal prince, who governed the provinces as the emperor's representative.