Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.548

c7.548

Professor Sharma continues, in presenting his argument, that the "people gathered in this assembly (*vidatha*), fought together, sang together, prayed together, played together and deliberated together without any discrimination of sex".⁴ We have examined the evidence with regard to the *vidatha* and do not fully agree with this statement. At the village congregations people might have sung together without discrimination of sex, but there is no evidence to show that they fought together, deliberated together and played together in the *vidatha*. We have shown the evidence for the *sabhā* and the *samiti* doing all these things, but there is no ground to attribute all these activities to the *vidatha*.