Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c6.s1.45

c6.s1.45

The Buddhists seem to have had a better historical sense than the Hindus and their attitude to contemporary events is on the whole fairly balanced.² They are also far more reliable and enlightening than the Jainas regarding their geographical details of the eastern peoples. This is evident from the account of the last journey of the Buddha from Pāṭaligāma to Kusinārā, recorded in the *Mahāparinibbāna Sutta*. The text has preserved significant details pertaining to the northern boundary of the Magadhan kingdom, the position of the Vajjian land, the names of the states travelled over, and their boundaries. The Jaina texts, on the contrary, contain jumbled and confused geographical data even about the Nāyas, the clan of Mahāvīra, and their chief town Kuṇḍapura. Moreover, they throw no light on the geographical position of their republican territories.