Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.99

c7.99

Majumdar, who mainly follows Zimmer in his interpretations of the Ṛg Vedic hymns, believes that the role of the people in establishing kings was continued down to the 8th century A.D.¹ Concerning the elections of Rūdradāman (c. A.D. 130), Harṣavardhana (c. A.D. 606) and Gopāla (c. A.D. 750), we agree entirely with Altekar when he comments that "it is no doubt true that Rūdradāman and Gopāla are expressly described as being elected to the kingship by their people;² but these statements occur in panegyric documents composed by their court poets and cannot be taken too seriously."³ Majumdar's view, like that of Jayaswal, has no solid ground, but we shall consider below the question of who formed the *viś* in choosing the king.