Licchavis
Topic: Janapadas, Mahajanapadas and the Second Urbanisation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Licchavis were the leading clan of the Vajji confederacy. A confederacy is a group of clans that join together under one government. Their centre was Vaishali in north Bihar. The Licchavis ran their state as a gana-sangha: many men called rajas shared power and made decisions in an assembly, instead of obeying one hereditary king. The clan stayed important for many centuries.
Example
Mahavira's mother, Trishala, was a Licchavi princess, in c. 6th century BCE. Many centuries later, in the 4th century CE, the Gupta king Chandragupta I married the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi. Gupta coins proudly show the royal couple together.
Don't confuse with
- Vajji: Vajji was the whole confederacy, made up of several clans. The Licchavis were only its most powerful member.