Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c11.14

c11.14

The sources are in perfect harmony as to the Nāyas being a Kṣatriya clan. They are often referred to as *Nāya-Khattiyas*¹ or *Jñāta-Kṣatriyas*,² and very frequently Mahāvīra's father, Siddhārtha, is called a *khattiya*. Mahāvīra himself is almost invariably called *Nātaputta* or *Nāthaputta* in all the Pāli sources, and often in the Jaina Prākrit texts. Reviewing all the sources, we prefer to refer to them by their standard designation as the *Nāya-Khattiyas* (Sanskrit *Jñāta-Kṣatriyas*).³