Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s4.41

c9.s4.41

Professor Altekar's view that "the Licchavis had a council of 9 though the membership of their Assembly numbered 7,707,"¹ is a fair judgement. It seems obvious from the evidence of contemporary Athens that 7,707 was the number of the Licchavi Khattiyas, all calling themselves *rājās*, who formed the General Assembly. They normally met once a year for important and grave public business.² But usually a much smaller body assembled to attend to the administration, meeting for this in the *santhāgāra*.³ It was a common feature of the republics at the time of the Buddha to have a meeting place like a mote-hall in their capital cities and also in other large towns of the republics.⁴ As the Athenian *ecclesia* met at the *pnyx*,⁵ and the Roman Senate in the *curia*,⁶ so the Licchavian *gaṇa* met in the *santhāgāra*.⁷ It was not only a political centre but, like the Vedic *sabhā*, also the place where religious and social functions of the republic took place.⁸