State and Government in Ancient India c13.53

c13.53

The Arjunāyanas flourished as a republic in the Agra-Jaipur tract from *c.* 200 B. C. to *c.* 400 A. D. Their coins have been found, which do not bear the name of any king or general ; the legend is simply *Arjunāyanānāṁ jayaḥ*. ‘victory to the Arjunāyanas.’ The coins belong to *c.* 100 B. C., but the Arjunāyana state must have been much more ancient, for the ruling class believed that it was descended from Arjuna, the epic hero. They worked in close cooperation with the Yaudheyas, their northern neighbours, who believed themselves to be the descendants of Dharma, the eldest brother of Arjuna.