Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c12.s1.16

c12.s1.16

All the sources appear to take the Mallas as a single political entity, but there is evidence that they were divided into two branches. As both branches of this tribe had the same form of government, it might have seemed irrelevant to the ancient writers to take note of the partition in this connection. It is, however, evident from the account of the last scene of the Buddha's life depicted in the *Mahāparinibbāna Sutta* ⁶ that the Mallas were no longer a single political entity. Perhaps that is why each branch claimed a separate share in the relics of the Buddha. Likewise, each section built a *stūpa* and gave a feast to mark this event. Though ethnically the same people with the same form of government, the partitioned territories had their own land with their centres of political power at Pāvā and Kusinārā respectively.⁷