Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.582

c7.582

The evidence produced and discussed above would show that the *vidatha* had no tribal or national basis and performed no religious, social or political functions for the entire political community. Professor Sharma's claim that the *vidatha* was the "earliest folk-assembly of the Indo-Āryans" which undertook multifarious activities, economic, military, distributive, etc., on behalf of the whole tribe, cannot be substantiated. On the contrary, Vedic literature shows that the *vidatha* was a local congregation performing mainly religious rites and ceremonies for the good luck and prosperity of the settlement. It sometimes prayed in bardic fashion for the victory of the tribe; women participated in its religious ceremonies and rites; it took part in socio-religious ceremonies such as weddings in the settlement; the gods were its heroes, and it craved for heroes. In short, it was a local assembly meeting mainly for religious purposes, and perhaps that is the reason why most writers on the political institutions of ancient India have either ignored the *vidatha* completely¹ or have just mentioned it in passing.²