Tribes in Ancient India c51.43

c51.43

At the time when the Buddha preached his gospel, we find the ancient Videha country cut up into parts, the Licchavis occupying the foremost position. Eight peoples are named as making up the Vajjian confederacy, the Licchavis and the Videhas occupying a prominent position. The confederacy, according to Kautilya, was a ‘rājaśabdopajīvī’ Saṅgha.⁷ Videha was twenty-four yojanas in length from the river Kauśikī to the river Gaṇḍak, and sixteen yojanas in breadth from the Ganges to the Himalayas.⁸ The capital of Videha, Mithilā, was situated about thirty-five miles north-west from Vesālī.⁹