Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c9.s5.24

c9.s5.24

There is reason to believe that the Kāsi people had a share in the overthrow of the Videhan monarchy. Already in the time of the great Janaka, Ajātaśatru, king of Kāsi, could hardly conceal his jealousy of the Videhan king's fame. The passage "*yathā Kāśyo vā Vaideho vā Ugraputra ujjyam dhanur adhijyaṁ kṛitvā dvau vāṇavantau sapatnātivyādhinau haste kṛitv-opatiṣṭhed*"² probably refers to frequent struggles between the heroes of Kāsi and Videha. The *Mahābhārata*³ refers to the old story (*itihāsaṁ purātanaṁ*) of a great battle between Pratardana, king of Kāsi according to the *Rāmāyaṇa*,⁴ and Janaka, King of Mithilā. It is stated in the Pāli commentary *Param-attha-jotikā*⁵ that the Lichchhavis who succeeded Janaka's dynasty as the strongest political power in North Bihar, and formed the most important element of the Vajjian Confederacy, were the offsprings of a queen of Kāsi. This indicates a belief in later ages that cadets from the royal family of Kāsi established themselves in Videha.