The question asks us to identify a figure who was contemporaneous, or lived during the same time period, as Gautam Buddha. Let`s explore each option to determine the correct answer.

Option 1: Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna was a Buddhist philosopher who lived in the 2nd century CE, about 500 years after Gautam Buddha`s death. Therefore, Nagarjuna cannot be the correct answer.

Option 2: Kanishka. Kanishka was a Kushan emperor who ruled from the 1st to the 2nd century CE. Again, since Gautam Buddha lived in the 6th to the 5th century BCE, Kanishka was not contemporaneous with Gautam Buddha.

Option 3: Kautilya. Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, was an ancient Indian philosopher, economist, and royal advisor who lived in the 4th century BCE. While he lived around the same time period as Gautam Buddha, there is no historical evidence to suggest that they were contemporaries or directly interacted with each other.

Option 4: Mahavir. Mahavir, also known as Vardhamana Mahavira, was the founder of Jainism. He lived in the