Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c12.s3.87

c12.s3.87

The *Nirayāvalikā* and other Jaina sources inform us that king Ceḍaga of Vesālī, who was the head of the Vajjian Confederacy, deliberated with the Mallian and the Licchavian *gaṇarājās* before the fight between the Magadhan king and the Vajjian Confederacy took place.⁵ Thus, the Mallas were hostile to the Magadhan king and fought against him with other confederates of the Vajjian League.⁶ But eventually they were defeated at the hands of Kuṇiya-Ajātasattu and as a result lost much of their power, at least in external affairs. Jinadāsa’s *Āvaśyaka Cūrṇi* tells us a somewhat different story. The chieftains of the confederate armies, demoralized by two defeats, abandoned Ceḍaga and returned to their own cities.⁷