Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c8.16

c8.16

Following Rhys Davids, almost all scholars have held the view, as if unquestionable, that the Vajjian Confederacy consisted of eight confederate clans. We mention only two of the most recent works; that of Drs. S. B. Chaudhuri⁷ and M. S. Pandey.⁸ The former states that "the Videhas along with the Licchavis, the Jñātṛkas, the Ugras, the Bhaggas and others were some of the constituent confederate clans (aṣṭakula), [of] the Vajjis."⁹ We find no evidence whatsoever for the inclusion of "the Ugras, the Bhaggas and others" in the Vajjian Confederacy. This is an obvious attempt to find enough names to make up the traditional number of eight. Dr. Pandey, on the authority of H. C. Raychaudhuri,¹⁰ also made the "Vajjian Confederacy consist of eight members of which the Licchavis were most important, and Videhas also being one of them.”¹ Again following Raychaudhuri,² he states that the Vajjis might also have been a tribe like the Licchavis and the Videhas. The suggestion is probable and we are inclined to suggest the same thing, yet there is no positive evidence to support this claim.