Vaishali
Topic: Janapadas, Mahajanapadas and the Second Urbanisation · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 7 "India's Cultural Roots"; Class 6, Ch 8 "Unity in Diversity, or 'Many in the One'"
Meaning
Vaishali was the chief city of the Vajji (Vrijji) confederacy, in north Bihar. A confederacy is a group of clans that join together under one government. Vajji was a gana-sangha, meaning it was ruled by an assembly of many men called rajas, not by a single hereditary king. This makes Vaishali a key site for India's "early republics". It is also important to two religions. Mahavira was born at Kundagrama, near Vaishali, and the Buddha often visited the city.
Example
After the Buddha's death, the Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali, about a hundred years later. An ancient sculpture from Vaishali, a few centuries BCE old, shows a woman wearing a sari-like garment. It is early evidence of this style of dress.
Don't confuse with
- Vatsa: Vatsa was a monarchy with its capital at Kaushambi. Vaishali belonged to the Vajji gana-sangha.
Related concepts
- Mahajanapada
- Gandhara
- Kuru
- Kosala
- Prasenajit
- Vatsa
- Udayana of Vatsa
- Kaushambi
- Avanti
- Pradyota of Avanti