Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c10.s4.36

c10.s4.36

Videha cannot have been a kingdom for more than 150 to 200 years in the pre-Buddhist period, as it is mentioned for the first time in the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa* (c. 800 B.C.). During this period of approximately 200 years there were probably not more than eight kings, ruling for more or less a quarter century each. The references to Videhan kings in the *Jātakas* run into the thousands. The *Dīgha Nikāya* refers to king Reṇu who founded Mithilā with the help of his steward Mahāgovinda.⁶ The *Majjhima Nikāya*⁷ and the *Jātakas*⁸ refer to Makhādeva and his 84,000 descendants who ruled at the capital of Mithilā. The *Jātakas* also refer to a number of other Videhan kings—Aṅgati,⁹ Ariṭṭhajanaka,¹⁰ Nimi,¹¹ Videha,¹²