State and Government in Ancient India c13.19

c13.19

With this theoretic background and historic evidence, we can certainly describe ancient Indian *gaṇa* states as republics in the same sense in which the ancient states of Greece and Italy were given that designation. Sovereignty in these states was vested not in one individual, nor in a small number of persons, but in a fairly numerous class. In the beginning this class consisted only of the descendants of the Kshatriya families, who had colonised the land, brought it under cultivation and founded the new state. It appears that even the Kshatriya families, who arrived later, did not enjoy the privilege of admission to the ruling class for a long time. The descendants of the original Kshatriya families, whose heads were called *rājās*, were known as *rājanyas*, while the rest of the Kshatriyas were known as *rājans*. In the famous Andhaka-Vṛishṇi republic, the descendants of Śvāphalaka, Chaitraka, Vāsudeva and Śini could be called *rāj nyakas*; the rest were all *rājans*.¹ The coin legend *Vṛishṇi-rājanya-gaṇasya jayaḥ* would show that in the Vṛishṇi republic the power was vested in the original Kshatriya founder families. It may be interesting to note that in the eastern states of the U.S.A. the distinction between the descendants of the original settlers' families and those who arrived later, was for a long time recognised in the sphere of social life.