Book Title: India As Described In Early Texts Of Buddhism and Jainism
Author(s): Bimla Charn Law
Publisher: Bimlacharan Law

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Page 131
________________ 123 KINGS ÁND PBOPLES river Sadānīrā and on the north by the Himar layas. It was, according to the Gandhāra Jātaka, 300 leagues in extent and contained at one time 16,000 villages, 16,000 storehouses and 16,000 dancing girls. Its capital Mithilā was built by Govinda.2 The great prosperity of the Videhas was due to trade with other countries, Benares and the rest. According to the Jaina canonical tradition, Cetaka 8 of Videha was an influential leader of the Licchavi confederacy. His sister, Tribalā, was the mother of Mahavira, the historical founder of Jainism, and his daughter, Cellanā or Vodehi, was married to Śrenika Bimbisāra of Magadha and became mother of Kūņika, i.e., Ajātasattu. When we speak of the Vajjis (Sk. Vrjis), we speak either of the Vajjian confederacy or the Vajjis as one of the constituent clans of that confederacy. The confederacy is also associated with the name of the Licchavis forming another constituent clan. The confederate plans were eight in number (atthakulā or atthakulaka) which, according to the Jaina Kalpa 4 and Nirayāvali Sūtras, consisted of nine Licchavi olans. They formed an alliance with the nine Mallakas and the kings of Kāsī and Kosala. 1 Jataka, iii, p. 385. Digha, ii, p. 235. . Acaranga Sätra, pp. xii-xvi-maternal uncle of Mahkvira. Seo, 128.

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