[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C.](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968) › c17.s2.6 # Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c17.s2.6 Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c17.s2.6 - **Language:** English ### [c17.s2.6](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.6) This gives us grammatical support for our suggestion that \*Ṛkṣavin\* was the original name, formed from \*ṛkṣa\*. By changing an ‘in’ ending into a lengthened vowel in the nominative singular, we get \*Ṛkṣavī\* (meaning “people of the bear-abounding region”) from \*Ṛkṣavin\*. In the Pāli canon, the \*Arthaśāstra\*, the \*Mānavadharma Śāstra\* and the Gupta Inscriptions it is represented as \*Licchavi\*, by the substitution of ‘Li’ for ‘Ṛ’, and ‘ccha’ for ‘kṣa’, according to the regular rules of Eastern Prākrit, but retaining the ending of the nominative singular. - [Previous: c17.s2.5](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.5) - [Next: c17.s2.7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.7) - [Up: c17.s2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2) ## Cites (3) - [Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.artha.kautilya) — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit - [Mānava Dharmaśāstra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.dharma.manu) — Manu & Bhṛgu, Sanskrit - [Licchavi](https://indike.org/pramana/inp.epigraphy.nepal.licchavi) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.6](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c17.s2.6) · Pramāṇa