Historical Geography of Ancient India c5.s5.11

c5.s5.11

The *Mahāvastu* has the traditional record of the sixteen big states of Jambudvīpa, but there is no enumeration of the list (*Jambudvīpe soḍaśahi mahājanapadehi*).¹ A similar reference is also found in the *Lalitavistara* without the traditional list (*sarvasmin Jambudvipe soḍaśajānapadeṣu*—p. 22). A careful study of the *Mahāvastu* shows that in a different connection it enumerates a list of sixteen big states.² It is stated there that Gautama distributed knowledge among the people of Aṅga, Magadha, Vajjī, Malla, Kāsī, Kosala, Cedi, Vatsa, Matsya, Śūrasena, Kuru, Pañcāla, Sivi, Daśārṇa, Assaka and Avantī. This list differs from the Pali list inasmuch as it excludes Gandhāra and Kamboja but includes Sivi and Daśārṇa. The order of the enumeration is also somewhat different.