Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c12.s3.62

c12.s3.62

The figure of nine Mallas given in the Jaina texts, who formed with the nine Licchavis the Vajjian Council of 18, may be accepted only insofar as it refers to the council of nine Malla chiefs from both the Pāvā and Kusinārā branches. If we take the eight Mallian chiefs who lifted the dead body of the Buddha to be different from the four chieftains who set fire to the pyre, we could conclude that it was the smaller body of four chiefs who formed the council, as they performed the more important function. But both sets of chiefs are called *Mallapāmokhās* in the text. In Professor Aḷtekar's opinion, "the Malla state . . . had an executive of four members only, all of whom are known to have taken a prominent part at the funeral of the Buddha."⁹ This seems probable, but it is by no means certain.