First Republic Of The World : Vajji (Sanskrit: वृज्जी Hindi: वज्जि ) or ????? was a confederacy of neighboring clans including the Licchavis and one of the principal #mahājanapadas of #AncientIndia. The area they ruled constitutes the region of Mithila in northern Bihar and their capital was the city of #Vaishali.
Both the Buddhist text #Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Jaina text #Bhagavati Sūtra (Saya xv Uddesa I) included Vajji in their lists of solace (sixteen) mahājanapadas. The name of this mahājanapada was derived from one of its ruling clans, the Vṛjis. The Vajji state is indicated to have been a republic. This clan is mentioned by #Pāṇini, #Chanakya and #Xuanzang. In Xuanzang’s record, two clans were linked with Vajji/Mithila by 646: Vaishali and Vrijji. Vaishali was both Buddhist and Hindu while Vrijji was predominantly Hindu and the capital of it Zhanshuna (占戍挐, possibly “Cemśoṇa/Cansuna” at Baliraajgadh).
It was the largest and the most powerful republican state of that time. It included nine #republican states of Mallas and eighteen republican states of Kasi and #Kosala. #Vaisali was the capital of the #Lichchhavis, wherein lived nearly 42,000 families and was a beautiful and prosperous city. The head of the state was elected and was titled, King.
It had another 7,707 Rajans who were, probably, the chief officers of their territories. It was such a powerful state that Ajatasatru, the ruler of the powerful state of Magadha, had to make military and diplomatic preparations for years before he could succeed in annexing it and that, too, could be achieved when his diplomacy succeeded in dividing the Lichchhavis.
