The Constitution of the Licchavis of Vaisali

Summary

U. N. Ghoshal investigates the constitutional structure of the Licchavi republic of Vaiśālī, a city famed in Buddhist literature. His starting point is a controversial passage from the Ekapaṇṇa Jātaka describing how seven thousand seven hundred and seven kings governed the city, assisted by an equal number of viceroys, generals and treasurers. Earlier scholars, particularly K. P. Jayaswal, interpreted this as evidence that Vaiśālī had a four‑member cabinet composed of a president, vice‑president, commander‑in‑chief and chancellor, implying a quasi‑monarchical structure. Ghoshal subjects the Sanskrit and Pāli texts to close philological scrutiny. He argues that Jayaswal’s addition of words absent from manuscripts and his conjectural translation distort the original sense. The phrase ‘the people themselves, seven thousand seven hundred and seven kings’ refers to a large assembly of clan elders who collectively held sovereignty and from whom executive officers were selected. Rather than a cabinet of four permanent officials, there appears to have been a wider council and a rotating presidency. Ghoshal compares this with descriptions of the Vajjian confederacy in Buddhist canon and argues that the Licchavis practised a unique form of oligarchic republic in which multiple families shared power. He also examines terms like upa‑rajan and senāpati in other texts and inscriptions to show that their functions differed from the modern notions of vice‑president or general. By situating the Licchavis within the broader context of republican polities in ancient India, Ghoshal challenges monarchical interpretations and underscores the diversity of Indian political institutions. He concludes that the Licchavi constitution was essentially federal and that later commentaries which inflate the number of officers reflect legendary embellishment rather than historical reality.