Tribes in Ancient India c53.5

c53.5

The Śākyas of Kapilavastu claimed to be Kṣatriyas. As soon as they heard the news of the Buddha’s passing away, they demanded a portion of his relics, saying, ‘*Bhagavā amhākaṃ ñāti-seṭṭho*’² (‘the Blessed One was the chief (or best) of our kinsmen’). While all the other Kṣatriya clans that claimed a portion of the Buddha’s ashes did so on the grounds of their belonging to the same caste (*Bhagavā pi Khattiyo, mayampi Khattiyā*), in the case of the Śākyas the claim was founded upon a closer relationship, that of consanguinity.