Videha (PrÃÂkrit: ; PÃÂli: ; Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Videha, the Vaidehas, were initially organised into a monarchy but later became a (an aristocratic oligarchic republic), presently referred to as the Videha Republic, which was part of the larger Vajjika League.
The borders of the Videha kingdom were the SadÃÂniràriver in the west, the Kauà Âikë river in the east, the Gaá¹ gàriver in the south, and the HimÃÂlaya mountains in the north. To the west of the SadÃÂniràriver, the neighbour of the Vaidehas was the kingdom of Kosala.
The SadÃÂniràand Kauà Âikë 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 MahÃÂ-Videha ("greater Videha"). The Videha republic was located along the foothills of the Himalaya mountains, in what are now the TarÃÂë region and the south-eastern parts of Nepal including the lower hill ranges, as well as the northern part of what in present time is the Indian state of BihÃÂr. The Malla republics were the neighbours of Videha to the west of the SadÃÂniràduring the republican period.
The name is the PrÃÂkrit version of the name whose Sanskrit form was . The capital of the Vaidehas was the city of MithilÃÂ, whose name was derived from that of the Vaideha king Mithi. According to Vayu Purana, the capital city of Videha is referred as Jayantapura which was founded by the King Nimi. Similarly in Bal Kand of Valmiki Ramayana, the city is referred as Vaijanta.
The Vaidehas were an Indo-Aryan tribe in the eastern Gangetic plain in the Greater Magadha cultural region. The MahÃÂ-Videha ("greater Videha") kingdom, located between the SadÃÂniràriver in the west, the Kauà Âikë river in the east, the Gaá¹ gàriver in the south, and the HimÃÂlaya mountains in the north, was founded around 800 BCE, according to the by the king Reá¹Âu with the help of his steward, MahÃÂgovinda JotipÃÂla, and claimed by the 5th century CE Buddhist commentator Buddhaghosa to have been colonised by the king MandhÃÂtàwith settlers from a place he retroactively referred to as ("old Videha"). The PrÃÂkrit name , meaning "without walls or ramparts," was an epithet used in the sense of "destroyers of walls and ramparts".
Despite being an Indo-Aryan people, the Vaidehas were not fully Brahmanised, lived in the Indo-Aryan but non-Vedic cultural region of Greater Magadha located to the east of the Gaá¹ gÃÂ-Yamunàconfluence along with the similarly Greater Magadhan non-Vedic Indo-Aryan KÃÂà Âya and Kauà Âalya tribes, with whom they had close cultural relations from early times, and along with whom the Vaidehas would be continually mentioned in ancient Indian literature. Brahmanical literature therefore grouped them along with the KÃÂà Âyas, Kauà Âalyas, MÃÂgadhës, and ÃÂá¹ geyas, as s (meaning "Easterners") not belonging to the , that is the land of the s where Vedic rituals and customs were followed, and consisting of the areas of the Kuru, PÃÂñcÃÂla, Matsya, and à Âà «rasena tribes. Brahmanical literature also referred to the Vaidehas and the MÃÂgadhës with less prestige than the Brahmanised Kuru-PÃÂñcÃÂlas and with language referring to mixed castes.
The Vaidehas were initially organised into a monarchical regime during the era of the s, lasting from around 900 BCE to around 700 BCE. One attested king of MahÃÂ-Videha was Mithila, who gave his name to the tribe's capital of MithilÃÂ.
The Vaidehas were Brahmanised during the later period, shortly after Kosala's Brahmanisation. This Brahminisation of MahÃÂ-Videha happened during the reign of the king Janaka, who was one of the leading patrons of the new doctrine of and whose YÃÂjñavalkya was a disciple of the Kuru-PÃÂñcÃÂla Vedic sage UddÃÂlaka ÃÂruá¹Âi. Janaka and YÃÂjñavalkya together provided spiritual and intellectual leadership to the s of the . And although MahÃÂ-Videha had not previously been included among the four ancient holy lands of , it came to acquire sanctity because the s approved of it as a pure land, although the later the mentions the Vaidehas with contempt, following the earlier Brahmanical tradition of opposition to the non-Vedic Indo-Aryan tribes.
The close relations between the Vaidehas, the KÃÂà Âyas, and the Kauà Âalyas continued after the Brahminisation of these states: at one point Jala JÃÂtà «kará¹Âya was the of all three kingdoms; and the king Para ÃÂá¹ÂnÃÂra, who was a descendant of the Kauà Âalya king Hiraá¹ÂyanÃÂbha, ruled over both MahÃÂ-Videha and Kosala.
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.
Shortly before or during the lifetime of the Buddha, around the 7th or 6th century BCE, the Licchavi tribe invaded the territory of the MahÃÂ-Videha kingdom and temporarily occupied the Vaideha capital of MithilÃÂ, from where they could best administer the territory of MahÃÂ-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 a republican system.
Facing the rising power of Magadha to the south of the Gaá¹ gÃÂ, the Licchavikas established their republic in the southern part of the former MahÃÂ-Videha kingdom's territory and moved their political centre to VesÃÂlë, while the new Videha republic centred around Mithilàexisted in a limited territory covering only the northern part of MahÃÂ-Videha. Many members of the Vaideha aristocracy who had submitted to the Licchavikas joined them in moving to VesÃÂlë, and therefore became members of the Licchavi ruling aristocratic Assembly. Vaideha politicians also moved to VesÃÂlë and obtained high posts there, such as the Vaideha minister Sakala who had to flee from his colleagues' jealousy and moved to VesÃÂlë where he became a prominent citizen and was elected ; Sakala had two sons, GopÃÂla and Siá¹Âha, who both married VesÃÂlia women, and Siá¹Âha's daughter VÃÂsavë married the MÃÂgadhë king BimbisÃÂra.
The Licchavikas themselves henceforth became the leading power within the territory of the former MahÃÂ-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 the s residing in and around MithilÃÂ, 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 the Vajjika League, which was a temporary league led by Licchavi, with the Vaideha s 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 the Mallakas, 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.
During the life of the Buddha, Videha abandoned Brahmanism and embraced Buddhism.
After the death of the Buddha, the Licchavikas, the Mallakas, and the Sakyas claimed shares of his relics while the Vaidehas and the NÃÂyikas 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.
The relations of the Licchavikas, who led the Vajjika League which the Vaidehas were part of, with their southern neighbour, the kingdom of Magadha, were initially good, and the wife of the MÃÂgadhë king BimbisÃÂra was the VesÃÂlia princess VÃÂsavë, who was the daughter of the Licchavika Sakala's son Siá¹Âha. There were nevertheless occasional tensions between Licchavi and Magadha, such as the competition at the Mallaka capital of KusinÃÂràover acquiring the relics of the Buddha after his death.
In another case, the Licchavikas once invaded MÃÂgadhë territory from across the Gaá¹ gÃÂ, and at some point the relations between Magadha and Licchavi permanently deteriorated as result of a grave offence committed by the Licchavikas towards the MÃÂgadhë king BimbisÃÂra.
The hostilities between Licchavi and Magadha continued under the rule of AjÃÂtasattu, who was BimbisÃÂra's son with another Licchavika princess, VÃÂsavë, after he had killed BimbisÃÂra and usurped the throne of Magadha. Eventually Licchavi supported a revolt against AjÃÂtasattu by his younger step-brother and the governor of Aá¹ ga, Vehalla, who was the son of BimbisÃÂra by another Licchavika wife of his, CellanÃÂ, a daughter of Ceá¸Âaga, who was the head of both the Licchavi republic and the Vajjika League; BimbisÃÂra had chosen Vehalla as his successor following AjÃÂtasattu'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 AjÃÂtasattu's usurpation and had allowed Vehalla to use their capital VesÃÂlë 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 VesÃÂlë, following which AjÃÂtasattu repeatedly attempted to negotiate with the Licchavikas-Vajjikas. After AjÃÂtasattu's repeated negotiation attempts ended in failure, he declared war on the Vajjika League in 484 BCE.
Tensions between Licchavi and Magadha were exacerbated by the handling of the joint MÃÂgadhë-Licchavika border post of Koá¹ÂigÃÂma on the Gaá¹ gàby the Licchavika-led Vajjika League who would regularly collect all valuables from Koá¹ÂigÃÂma and leave none to the MÃÂgadhës. Therefore AjÃÂtasattu decided to destroy the Vajjika League in retaliation, but also because, as an ambitious empire-builder whose mother VÃÂsavë was Licchavika princess of Vaidehë descent, he was interested in the territory of the former MahÃÂ-Videha kingdom which by then was part of the Vajjika League. AjÃÂtasattu'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 the ancient Greek kingdom of Sparta to the democratic form of government in Athens, and the hostilities between the ancient Macedonian king Philip II to the Athenian and Theban republics.
As a prominent member of the Vajjika League, the Videha republic was also threatened by AjÃÂtasattu, 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 AjÃÂtasattu 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 MÃÂgadhë conquest, and Kauá¹Âilya and PÃÂá¹Âini did not mention them as an independent polity, but instead included them as part of Vá¹Âji (the country of MahÃÂ-Videha, which by then was known by the name of the Vajjika League).
The kings of Videha were titled or , meaning "Lord of Videha."
Like the Licchavikas, the republican Vaideha (aristocratic oligarchic republic) had their own ruling Assembly. The Vaidehas, like their Licchavika, Mallaka, NÃÂyika confederates within the Vajjika League, were a tribe, and the Vaidehas' Assembly was largely constituted of the heads of the clans of the tribe, although it was smaller than the Licchavika Assembly and the heads of non- clans were allowed to join it: s were either allowed to become members of the Assembly or, as heads of families, were able to influence it; since MithilÃÂ 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 the clans were automatically accorded membership within the Vaideha Assembly (called s, meaning "ruler"), similarly to how membership to the Licchavika Assembly functioned.
Like the Licchavika Assembly, the Vaideha Assembly possessed a santhÃÂgÃÂra as meeting place, although it normally met only once a year.
The ("Head of the Republic") was a consul chosen by the citizen body, and who maintained the old title of or ("Lord of Videha"). The position of was accessible only to a who had the support of his clan and of influential people, and criteria for his election included personal leadership, strength, eloquence, and popularity.
Like the Licchavika , the of Videha shared his power with a body of four public officers, consisting of the himself, as well as a ("Viceroy"), a ("General-in-Chief"), and a ("Treasurer").
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.
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 four s, consisting of the and three councillor s, 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.
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.
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 the ("courtesan of the republic"), and spent her life as a public woman with political influence. One such courtesan of Videha was Piá¹ galÃÂ, who was mentioned in the , which is a later text.
Beginning with the Gupta period, the names MithilÃÂ and Tirabhukti replaced that of Videha as the appellation of the whole former territory of the MahÃÂ-Videha kingdom.
Videha and Mithilàappear in the Itihasa texts such as the RÃÂmÃÂyaá¹Âa and the MahÃÂbhÃÂrata, with the protagonist of the former being the Vaidehë princess SëtÃÂ. The narrative of these epics is based on the monarchical period of Videha.
There were 52 Janaka (kings) ruled Videha dynasty of Mithila-
During this period of fall of Videha dynasty, the famous republic of Licchavi was rising in Vaishali and Mithila region came under control of Licchavi clan of Vajji confederacy in around eight century BCE.