Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c9.s7.227

c9.s7.227

The **Vṛijis** proper are already mentioned by Pāṇini. Kauṭilya⁷ distinguishes them from the ‘Lichchhivikas’. Yuan Chwang⁸ too, draws a distinction between the *Fu-li-chih* (Vṛiji) country and *Fei-she-li* (Vaiśālī). It seems that Vṛiji was not only the name of the confederacy but also of one of its constituent clans. But the Vṛijis, like the Lichchhavis, are often associated with the city of Vaiśālī (including its suburbs) which was not only the capital of the Lichchhavi clan, but also the metropolis of the entire confederacy.¹ A Buddhist tradition quoted by Rockhill² mentions the city proper as consisting of three districts. These districts were probably at one time the seats of three different clans. The remaining peoples of the confederacy *viz.*, the **Ugras**, **Bhogas**, **Kauravas**, and **Aikshvākas**, resided in suburbs, and in villages or towns like Hatthigāma, Bhoganagara, etc.³