Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s4.89

c9.s4.89

The opening chapter of the *Mahāparinibbāna Sutta* states that the Buddha commented on the seven-fold conditions of the Licchavis.⁵ It would appear that ideally they "held full and frequent public assemblies," that they met "together in concord," and "rose in concord" and carried out their undertakings in concord, and that these institutions of the Licchavis were well-established and "ancient." They were encouraged to revere and support their "elders" (*theras*), and to hold it as a point of duty to hearken to their words. It would also seem from the same text that the Licchavis instructed their successors, the *uparājās* (viceroys), in the art of government and encouraged them to maintain the traditional system of government. They might all have been required to serve an apprenticeship before they were formally anointed at the *Pokkharaṇī*. Before taking their rightful place in the council, it is possible that they had no voting rights unless they represented their leader or were formally announced as *rājās*.