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TRIBES IN ANCIENT INDIA 'In the Buddha's time, the young Licchavis of the City', says Watters, 'were a free, wild, set, very handsome and full of life. and Buddha compared them to the gods in Indra's heaven. They dressed well, were good archers, and drove fast carriages, but they were wanton, insolent and utterly irreligious.'1 This is an exaggeration and is probably based on the Chinese translations of such passages as the one in the Lalitavistara, where some of the Tusita gods point out the defects in the character of the Vaiśālians when their city was recommended by others among them as a suitable place of birth for the Bodhisattva.2 Whatever might have been the opinions of these sons of heaven' before the birth of the Buddha, they must later have changed their opinions about the people of Vaiśālī, who showed such remarkable veneration towards the Buddha and received such marked favour from him. We may, however, assume that the Licchavis were rather independent in character and would not easily accept a subordinate position to any one, whether in politics, religion, or ordinary daily life.
Then again the statement that the Licchavis did not respect their elders or were irreligious, is in direct contradiction to what the Buddha said about their regard for elders to Vassakāra, the Magadhan minister.3
The Licchavi youths went to distant countries for their education. We read of a Licchavi named Mahāli who went to Taxila to learn śilpa or arts. It is said that he in his turn trained as many as 500 Licchavis who also, when educated, took up the same task and in this way education spread far and wide among the Licchavis.4
Nor were the fine arts neglected. Artisans such as tailors, goldsmiths and jewellers must have been much in demand in the city of Vaiśāli to furnish the gay robes of the seven thousand seven hundred and seven’ rājās or nobles. The art of architecture also was much developed in Vaiśālī; the magnificent palaces of the Licchavis are spoken of in the Lalitavistara. They were equally enthusiastic in the building of temples, shrines, and monasteries for the Bhikkhus; and we are told that the Bhikkhus themselves superintended the construction of these buildings for the Order. The Licchavis of Vaiśāli built many caityas or shrines inside and outside their great city, and we have already seen with what great
1 Watters, On Yuan Chwang, Vol. II, p. 79. 2 Lalitavistara, ed. S. Lefmann, Vol. I, p. 21. 3 Dialogues of the Buddha, Pt. II, p. 80. 4 Fausböll, Dhammapada (old ed.), p. 211. 5 Chap. 3, p. 23 (Bibl. Indica Series).
