Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s4.1

c9.s4.1

The Licchavis formed what is constitutionally called a *saṅgha* or a *gaṇa*.⁷ This was a form of government in which neither a single ruler, nor even a few, but a considerable portion of the population was vested with the final power and ultmate authority of the state. The *gaṇa*, as Kātyāyana⁸ and Kauṭilya⁹ give us to understand, was tribal in character and its members were generally considered Kṣatriyas.¹⁰ The question as to who formed the Licchavian *gaṇa* (assembly) at Vesālī, has produced several different theories. All the views rest on the basis of the three following sources which we quote before systematically examining the strong and weak points of the theories based upon them.