Kingdom of the Videha | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1100 BCE–c. 7th century BCE | |||||||||
.png) The Kingdom of the Videhas and other kingdoms of the lateVedic period | |||||||||
.jpg) Republican Videha (ruled by Vajjika League) among theGaṇasaṅghas in thePost-Vedic period | |||||||||
| Status | Kingdom (earlier) Republic of theVajjika League (later) | ||||||||
| Capital | Mithila[1] | ||||||||
| Common languages | Sanskrit | ||||||||
| Religion | Historical Vedic religion[2] Buddhism Proto-Jainism | ||||||||
| Demonym | Vaideha | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy (earlier)Aristocratic republic (later) | ||||||||
| Rājā (earlier) Gaṇa Mukhya (later) | |||||||||
| Legislature | Sabhā | ||||||||
| Establishment | ByVidegha Mathava | ||||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||||
• Established | c. 1100 BCE | ||||||||
• RepublicVajjika League dethroned monarchy Viedha dynasty | c. 7th century BCE | ||||||||
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| Today part of | India Nepal | ||||||||
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| History of Bihar |
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Videha (Prākrit:𑀯𑀺𑀤𑁂𑀳Videha;Pāli:Videha;Sanskrit:Videha) was an ancientIndo-Aryantribe of north-easternSouth Asia whose existence is attested during theIron Age. The population of Videha, theVaidehas, were initially organised into a monarchy but later became agaṇasaṅgha (anaristocraticoligarchicrepublic), presently referred to as theVideha Republic, which was part of the largerVajjika League.
The borders of the Videha kingdom were theSadānirā river in the west, theKauśikī river in the east, theGaṅgā river in the south, and theHimālaya mountains in the north. To the west of the Sadānirā river, the neighbour of the Vaidehas was the kingdom ofKosala.[3][4]
The Sadānirā and Kauśikī rivers remained the respective western and eastern boundaries of the later Videha republic, although its territory covered only the northern part of that of the former Videha kingdom, with the latter hence being called Mahā-Videha ("greater Videha"). The Videha republic was located along the foothills of the Himalaya mountains, in what are now theTarāī region and the south-eastern parts ofNepal including the lower hill ranges, as well as the northern part of what in present time is the Indian state ofBihār. TheMalla republics were the neighbours of Videha to the west of the Sadānirā during the republican period.[3]
The nameVideha is thePrākrit version of the name whoseSanskrit form wasVidegha.[3] The capital of the Vaidehas was the city ofMithilā, whose name was derived from that of the Vaidehaking Mithi.[3][3] According toVayu Purana, the capital city of Videha is referred asJayantapura which was founded by theKing Nimi.[5] Similarly in Bal Kand of Valmiki Ramayana, the city is referred asVaijanta.[6]
The Vaidehas were an Indo-Aryan tribe in the eastern Gangetic plain in theGreater Magadha cultural region.[7][8] The Mahā-Videha ("greater Videha") kingdom, located between theSadānirā river in the west, theKauśikī river in the east, theGaṅgā river in the south, and theHimālaya mountains in the north, was founded around 800 BCE, according to theMahāgovinda Sutta by the king Reṇu with the help of his steward, Mahāgovinda Jotipāla, and claimed by the 5th century CE Buddhist commentatorBuddhaghosa to have been colonised by the king Mandhātā with settlers from a place he retroactively referred to aspubba Videha ("old Videha"). The Prākrit nameVideha, meaning "without walls or ramparts," was an epithet used in the sense of "destroyers of walls and ramparts".[3]
Despite being an Indo-Aryan people, the Vaidehas were not fully Brahmanised, lived in the Indo-Aryan but non-Vedic cultural region ofGreater Magadha located to the east of the Gaṅgā-Yamunā confluence along with the similarly Greater Magadhan non-Vedic Indo-AryanKāśya andKauśalya tribes, with whom they had close cultural relations from early times, and along with whom the Vaidehas would be continually mentioned in ancient South Asian literature. Brahmanical literature therefore grouped them along with theKāśyas,Kauśalyas,Māgadhīs, andĀṅgeyas, asPrācyas (meaning "Easterners") not belonging to theMadhyama-Diś, that is the land of theBrahmaṛṣis where Vedic rituals and customs were followed, and consisting of the areas of the Kuru, Pāñcāla,Matsya, andŚūrasena tribes. Brahmanical literature also referred to the Vaidehas and the Māgadhīs with less prestige than the Brahmanised Kuru-Pāñcālas and with language referring to mixed castes.[3]
The Vaidehas were initially organised into a monarchical regime during the era of theBrāhmaṇas, lasting from around 900 BCE to around 700 BCE. One attested king of Mahā-Videha was Mithila, who gave his name to the tribe's capital ofMithilā.[3]
The Vaidehas were Brahmanised during the laterBrāhmaṇa period, shortly after Kosala's Brahmanisation. This Brahminisation of Mahā-Videha happened during the reign of the kingJanaka, who was one of the leading patrons of the new doctrine ofBrahman and whosepurohitaYājñavalkya was a disciple of the Kuru-Pāñcāla Vedic sageUddālaka Āruṇi. Janaka and Yājñavalkya together provided spiritual and intellectual leadership to thepaṇḍitas of theUttarapatha. And although Mahā-Videha had not previously been included among the four ancient holy lands ofBhāratavarṣa, it came to acquire sanctity because theDharmaśāstras approved of it as a pure land, although the later theManusmṛti mentions the Vaidehas with contempt, following the earlier Brahmanical tradition of opposition to thePrācya non-Vedic Indo-Aryan tribes.[3]
The close relations between the Vaidehas, the Kāśyas, and the Kauśalyas continued after the Brahminisation of these states: at one point Jala Jātūkarṇya was thepurohita of all three kingdoms; and the king Para Āṭnāra, who was a descendant of the Kauśalya king Hiraṇyanābha, ruled over both Mahā-Videha and Kosala.[3]
This monarchical period of the Vaidehas lasted between 150 and 200 years, and the maximum estimated number of Vaideha kings during this phase amounts to eight.[3]
Shortly before or during the lifetime of theBuddha, around the 7th or 6th century BCE, theLicchavi tribe invaded the territory of the Mahā-Videha kingdom and temporarily occupied the Vaideha capital of Mithilā, from where they could best administer the territory of Mahā-Videha. The consequence of the occupation of Videha by the republican Licchavikas was that the Licchavikas relatively peacefully overthrew the already weakened Vaideha monarchical system and Janaka's dynasty, and replaced them by agaṇasaṅgha republican system.[3]
Facing the rising power ofMagadha to the south of the Gaṅgā, the Licchavikas established their republic in the southern part of the former Mahā-Videha kingdom's territory and moved their political centre toVesālī, while the new Videha republic centred around Mithilā existed in a limited territory covering only the northern part of Mahā-Videha. Many members of the Vaideha aristocracy who had submitted to the Licchavikas joined them in moving to Vesālī, and therefore became members of the Licchavi ruling aristocratic Assembly. Vaideha politicians also moved to Vesālī and obtained high posts there, such as the Vaideha minister Sakala who had to flee from his colleagues' jealousy and moved to Vesālī where he became a prominent citizen and was electedNāyaka; Sakala had two sons, Gopāla and Siṃha, who both married Vesālia women, and Siṃha's daughter Vāsavī married the Māgadhī kingBimbisāra.[3]
The Licchavikas themselves henceforth became the leading power within the territory of the former Mahā-Videha kingdom, with the Licchavika Assembly holding the sovereign and supreme rights over this territory while the Videha republic was ruled by an Assembly of thekṣatriyas residing in and around Mithilā, and which governed in the name of the Licchavika Assembly. The Videha republic was thus under significant influence of Licchavi, and it joined the latter as one of the two most important members of theVajjika League, which was a temporary league led by Licchavi, with the Vaideharājās holding an undetermined number out of the nine non-Licchavika seats of the eighteen-member Vajjika Council. Despite being a prominent member of the Vajjika League, Videha was a minor power within it compared to the Licchavikas and theMallakas, and Videha maintained limited autonomy within the league concerning its domestic administration under the supervision of Licchavi, who fully controlled Vaideha foreign policy. The Videha republic's relations with other members of the Vajjika League, such as the Malla republics, were good, although occasional quarrels arose between the various member states of the league.[3]
During the life of theBuddha, Videha abandonedBrahmanism and embracedBuddhism.[3]
After the death of the Buddha, the Licchavikas, the Mallakas, and theSakyas claimed shares of his relics while the Vaidehas and theNāyikas did not appear among the list of states claiming a share because they were dependencies of the Licchavikas without their own sovereignty, and therefore could not put forth their own claim while Licchavi could.[3]
The relations of the Licchavikas, who led the Vajjika League which the Vaidehas were part of, with their southern neighbour, the kingdom ofMagadha, were initially good, and the wife of the Māgadhī kingBimbisāra was the Vesālia princess Vāsavī, who was the daughter of the LicchavikaNāyaka Sakala's son Siṃha. There were nevertheless occasional tensions between Licchavi and Magadha, such as the competition at the Mallaka capital ofKusinārā over acquiring the relics of theBuddha after his death.[9]
In another case, the Licchavikas once invaded Māgadhī territory from across theGaṅgā, and at some point the relations between Magadha and Licchavi permanently deteriorated as result of a grave offence committed by the Licchavikas towards the Māgadhī king Bimbisāra.[9]
The hostilities between Licchavi and Magadha continued under the rule ofAjātasattu, who was Bimbisāra's son with another Licchavika princess, Vāsavī, after he had killed Bimbisāra and usurped the throne of Magadha. Eventually Licchavi supported a revolt against Ajātasattu by his younger step-brother and the governor ofAṅga, Vehalla, who was the son of Bimbisāra by another Licchavika wife of his, Cellanā, a daughter ofCeḍaga, who was the head of both the Licchavi republic and the Vajjika League; Bimbisāra had chosen Vehalla as his successor following Ajātasattu's falling out of his favour after the latter had been caught conspiring against him, and the Licchavikas had attempted to place Vehalla on the throne of Magadha after Ajātasattu's usurpation and had allowed Vehalla to use their capital Vesālī as base for his revolt. After the failure of this rebellion, Vehalla sought refuge at his grandfather's place in the Licchavika and Vajjika capital of Vesālī, following which Ajātasattu repeatedly attempted to negotiate with the Licchavikas-Vajjikas. After Ajātasattu's repeated negotiation attempts ended in failure, he declared war on the Vajjika League in 484 BCE.[9]
Tensions between Licchavi and Magadha were exacerbated by the handling of the joint Māgadhī-Licchavika border post of Koṭigāma on the Gaṅgā by the Licchavika-led Vajjika League who would regularly collect all valuables from Koṭigāma and leave none to the Māgadhīs. Therefore Ajātasattu decided to destroy the Vajjika League in retaliation, but also because, as an ambitious empire-builder whose mother Vāsavī was Licchavika princess of Vaidehī descent, he was interested in the territory of the former Mahā-Videha kingdom which by then was part of the Vajjika League. Ajātasattu's hostility towards the Vajjika League was also the result of the differing forms of political organisation between Magadha and the Vajjika League, with the former being monarchical and the latter being republican, not unlike the opposition of theancient Greek kingdom ofSparta to the democratic form of government inAthens, and thehostilities between theancient Macedonian kingPhilip II to the Athenian andTheban republics.[9]
As a prominent member of the Vajjika League, the Videha republic was also threatened by Ajātasattu, and it therefore fought on the side of the other confederate tribes of the league against Magadha. The military forces of the Vajjika League were initially too strong for Ajātasattu to be successful against them, and it required him having recourse to diplomacy and intrigues over the span of a decade to finally defeat the Vajjika League by 468 BCE and annex its territories, including Videha, to the kingdom of Magadha. Mention of the Vaidehas end after the Māgadhī conquest, andKauṭilya andPāṇini did not mention them as an independent polity, but instead included them as part ofVṛji (the country of Mahā-Videha, which by then was known by the name of the Vajjika League).[9][3]
The kings of Videha were titledVideha orVedeha, meaning "Lord of Videha."[10][11]
Like the Licchavikas, the republican Vaidehagaṇasaṅgha (aristocraticoligarchicrepublic) had their own ruling Assembly. The Vaidehas, like their Licchavika, Mallaka, Nāyika confederates within the Vajjika League, were akṣatriya tribe, and the Vaidehas' Assembly was largely constituted of the heads of thekṣatriya clans of the tribe, although it was smaller than the Licchavika Assembly and the heads of non-kṣatriya clans were allowed to join it:brāhmaṇas were either allowed to become members of the Assembly or, asbrāhmaṇa heads of families, were able to influence it; since Mithilā was a centre of trade, wealthy merchants also either were members of the Assembly or were able to influence it. Of the 84,000 to 100,000 population of Videha, the 6,000 heads of thekṣatriya clans were automatically accorded membership within the Vaideha Assembly (calledrājās, meaning "ruler"), similarly to how membership to the Licchavika Assembly functioned.[3][12]
Like the Licchavika Assembly, the Vaideha Assembly possessed asanthāgāra as meeting place, although it normally met only once a year.[3]
TheGaṇa Mukhya ("Head of the Republic") was a consulrājā chosen by the citizen body, and who maintained the old title ofVideha orVedeha ("Lord of Videha"). The position ofGaṇa Mukhya was accessible only to akṣatriya who had the support of his clan and of influential people, and criteria for his election included personal leadership, strength, eloquence, and popularity.[3][11]
Like the LicchavikaGaṇa Mukhya, theGaṇa Mukhya of Videha shared his power with a body of four public officers, consisting of theGaṇa Mukhya himself, as well as auparājā ("Viceroy"), asenāpati ("General-in-Chief"), and abhaṇḍāgārika ("Treasurer").[3]
Since the Vaideha Assembly met only once a year, it was the Council, that is the inner body of the Assembly, which met more frequently to administer the Videha republic. The Vaideha Council was the body with the supreme authority of the internal administration of the republic, although in practice it held the supreme power of the republic under the administration of the Licchavikas.[3]
This Council was similar to that of the Licchavikas, being composed of members elected from within the Assembly, but was smaller and might have been composed of fourrājās, consisting of theGaṇa Mukhya and three councillorrājās, who were in charge of the public administration of the republic and recommended measures of importance to the Assembly. The Council also received envoys of other states and took important decisions in the name of the Assembly, which had to approve them.[3]
An unusual custom of the Vaidehas was that every one of their villages and towns had a dancing girl of courtesan, and Videha had a troop composed of panegyrists, music instrument players, and those dancing girls who were considered to be the most beautiful.[3]
At the state level, a beauty competition was held to choose who was the most beautiful woman of the whole state. This woman, who possessed talents and traits such as significant beauty, charm, and was accomplished in dance and music, was not allowed to lead a normal married life, and she was instead chosen to be theNagaravadhu ("courtesan of the republic"), and spent her life as a public woman with political influence. One such courtesan of Videha was Piṅgalā, who was mentioned in theBhaviṣyata Purāṇa, which is a later text.[3]
Beginning with theGupta period, the names Mithilā and Tirabhukti replaced that of Videha as the appellation of thewhole former territory of the Mahā-Videha kingdom.[3]
Videha and Mithilā appear in the laterItihasa texts such as theRāmāyaṇa and theMahābhārata, with the protagonist of the former being the Vaidehī princessSītā. The narrative of these epics is based on the monarchical period of Videha.[3]
There were 52Janaka (kings) ruled Videha dynasty of Mithila-[13]
During this period of fall of Videha dynasty, the famous republic ofLicchavi was rising inVaishali and Mithila region came under control of Licchavi clan ofVajji confederacy in around eight century BCE.[15]
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