Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s5.160

c9.s5.160

Significantly, however, the name Vajji (Sanskrit Vṛji) was entirely forgotten.³ Even the later *Purāṇas* have not registered the name. The Vedic and Purāṇic writers seem to have vied with each other to organize this cloak of silence around a very popular memory amongst the heretics. It is possible that these important people were ignored in the orthodox texts because of their addiction to heresy, and for this very reason gained popularity in the traditions of the Buddhists and Jainas. The disappearance of the name Vajji is also probably due to the fact that the Vajjian Confederacy, as distinct from the Licchavian republic, never recovered after Ajātasattu destroyed it. The Vṛjis are referred to by the *Arthaśāstra* for the last time and later authors apparently did not even know that the Vajjian Confederacy had ever existed.⁴