Option c is the correct answer. The person who started the Ajivika group was Makkali Gosala. From what we know, Makkali Gosala is the name linked to this group. He lived around the same time as Mahavira and Gautam Buddha. The Jain texts say that Makkali Gosala was Mahavira's student for six years, but then they went their separate ways, and Gosala started his own group. During the early days of Jainism and Buddhism, the Ajivika beliefs were a major competitor. People followed the Ajivika ideas when the Mauryan Emperor Bindusara was in charge. He was the father of Emperor Asoka. After Asoka became a Buddhist, the Ajivika beliefs became less popular, but they managed to survive for another 1600 years in places like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the southern parts of India. However, this group finally ended in the 14th century AD.