State and Government in Ancient India c13.21

c13.21

The Kshatriya settlers had inherited monarchical traditions and the leaders of the colonising families claimed and enjoyed the privilege of royal coronation and royal title. Kauṭilya (Bk. XI.I) undoubtedly uses the term *rājaśabdopajīvinaḥ* with reference to such republics where this usage prevailed. When Yudhishṭhira in the *Mahābhārata* points out how in some places there were kings in every house,¹ he obviously has small republics in view where this custom prevailed. We can now well understand the statement in the Buddhist literature about the Lichchhavi Saṁgha or republic having 7707 kings in it. The traditional number of the original Kshatriya settlers, who had colonised Muzaffarpur district was 7707 ; each one of them enjoyed the title of *rāja* and claimed the privilege of ablution in the coronation tank (*abhisheka-pokaraṇī*), which is referred to in the Jātakas² and is still remembered at Vaiśālī. He also had his own crown-prince, general and treasurer. Vaiśālī was a small republic, covering not more than the area of one district, and if it had 7707 kings, one can well understand the taunt in the *Lalitavistara* that everybody at Vaiśālī considered himself to be a king.³