Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c11.s4: Republics

c11.s4.1

The names of republics actually mentioned by Kauṭilya fall into two groups ; one devoted to economic pursuits and to fighting with weapons like the Kambhojas, Surāṣṭra, Kshatriya-śreṇi (Khathoi of the Greek writers) and others ; the others who used the title of *rājā*, apparently for marking the status of the members of the executive body of the republic, such as Licchivika, Vrijjika, Mallaka, Madraka, Kukura, Kuru, Pāñchāla and others. The Aśoka inscriptions mention Kambhojas and some other tribes. These republican states were apparently spread all over India at the beginning of the Mauryan empire, and many of them succeeded in retaining their individuality and surviving the Mauryan empire in spite of their hostile environment ; the use of the term *rājā* in many of them was perhaps a concession to a deep-rooted popular sentiment that favoured the name of the king.