Two religions were born in India in the post
Christian era and have gone out into the world: Buddhism and Jainism.
A touch of history, the
spark of spirituality and a streak of glamour. Vaishali is credited
with being the worlds first republic to have a duly elected
assembly of representatives. It is the birth place of Lord Mahavira
and equally cherished by Lord Buddha as his favourite monsoon resort.
It was here that Buddha preached his last sermon and announced his
approaching Nirvana. Anothre clued to this historical city is
the raving beauty of Ambapali.
Vaishali, in north Bihar,
ranks among the few rare place in history that has left behind a
trail of events that reflect the pride of ancient India. Long before
the advent of Buddha, Vaishali was a flourishing republic (in fact
the earliest examples in India of oligarchical republics like those
of Greece). The city of Vaishlai was not only the capital of the
Lichchhavi clan, but also the metropolis of the entire confederacy
which spread across the Himalayan Gangetic region that extended as
far as the Nepal hills.
Little is known about the
early history of Vaishali. However the process of breaking down of
the barriers of race and class or caste, by intermarriages and
interchange of vocations had commenced much before the advent of
Jainism and Buddhism. The earliest recorded king of Vaishali,
Nabhaga, is believed to have abdicated over a question of human
rights and proclaimed, I am now a free tiller of the soil, king
over my acre. Nobhaga was the first among the list of 34 kings
mentioned in the Vishnu Purana. The last among them was Sumati, a
contemporary of Raja Dasratha.
Six centuries later,
Vaishali emerges into a republic under the care of the Lichchhavis.
In al probability it was not the outcome of any revolution leading to
the overthrow of monarchy. It appears to be the results of a gradual
growth effected by transformation that was brought about by the
younger sons of the kings sharing authority with the elder ones and
this practice may have continued, leading to the gradual increase in
the number of ruling princes, until the number 7707 was reached.
Another presumption is the accumulation of wealth in the hands of
the royal family members. This may have led to a desire for active
participation in the affairs of the government that eventually
brought about the change.
Historians differ about
their origin. Lord Buddha compared them to the gods in Indras
heaven. In Chinese accounts they are referred to as a free, wild and
handsome lot who dressed well in bright colors, drove fast carriages
but were wanton, insolent and utterly irreligious. For sure,
these dashing young fellows with their brilliant equipages and saucy
manners must have presented in Vaishali a marked contrast to Buddha
and his somber clothed disciples remarks Yuan Chwang in his
travel accounts of India.
Some historians believe
the Lichchavis (skin thin) to be of Tibetan descent as evident from
traits appearing in the statues and moreover the presence of various
identical cultural aspects and administrative elements. Like the
Tibetans, the Lichchhavis too exposed the dead bodies and their
criminal justice was equally similar. The unique feature of this
judicial administration was that a criminal could only be punished if
he had been found guilty by the seven successive tribunals
unanimously though he could be acquitted by any one of them. Thus,
the liberty of an individual was safeguarded in a way that was unique
in the worlds history.
The Vishnu Purana gives a
genealogical list of 34 kings and Sumati, the last mentioned king, is
represented as the tenth in descent from Visala and if the evidence
of Ramayana is taken into consideration, he was a contemporary of
Raja Dasrath, the king of Ayodhya. Much later, Lord Rama is believed
to have enjoyed the hospitality of Vaishali on his way back from
Mithila.
The 7707 kings in whom
Lichchhavi rule was vested according to the Jataka, called themselves
Rajunam (kings) and they were so called because they all
descended from an ancient royal family. The Jataka mentions the tank
in Vaishali where the families of the kings got water for the
ceremonial sprinkling. Vaishalis elected representatives were
anointed here before their swearing in. The water of this tank was
scrupulously guarded to avoid pollution by persons into belonging to
the ruling families and we are told how the Commander-in-Chief of
Kosala was hotly pursued by Lichchhavi kings for having bathed his
wife in it.
Lord Buddha greatly
admired the Lichchhavi constitution and it is evident that he
borrowed a good deal from it to run his own religious order. For
instance, the rules on moving resolutions, voting by ballot, decision
by majority of votes, the reference of complicated questions to
committees, rules about quorum, votes of absentees and so on. Buddha
was firm in his belief that so long as the Lichchhavis remained
united and true to their democratic constitution, their enemies would
not be able to overcome them.
Aggressive imperialism of
neighboring Magadhan power under Ajatasatru instigated a war on the
Lichchhavis. The pretext, according to Jain sources, was extradition
of two Magadhan princes who had fled to Vaishali together with a
prized elephant decked with a huge necklace with 18 strings of
jewels. The elephant and the jewels had been gifted to them by their
father, Bimbisara but when Ajatasatru usurped his fathers
throne he demanded the return of gifts from his brothers who fled to
Vaishali as their mother was a Lichchhavi princess. The confrontation
culminated in a war that was successfully planned by undermining the
unity of Lichchhavi kings.
The war established the
hegemony of Megadha but the Lichchhavi pride never waned and even
centuries later, when Chandragupta married a Lichchhavi princes, his
successors issued coins with proud proclamations that they were the
sons and daughters of the Lichchhavis.
Lord Buddha is believed
to have visited Vaishali three times. Legend has it that on one of
his visits, several monkeys dug up a tank for his comfortable stay
and offered him a bowl of honey. This is regarded as one of the great
incidents in the legends of Buddha. On his last visit to Vaishali,
the Lichchhavis came a long way to bid him farewell. They were
stopped by the river created by Lord Buddha. As solace for their
distress, Buddha gave them his alms bowl which remained in Vaishali
for a long time and later it was carried away to Gandhara. A hundred
years after the demise of Buddha, a council of 700 monks met here to
decide on the ten points of Vanaya (rule of conduct) which
were under dispute.
The Pali texts refer to
Vaishali as the land of Ambapali. She was graceful, beautiful,
pleasant, well versed in singing, dancing and flute playing.
Ambapalis parents were unknown and she was found at Vaishali in
the kings gardens, at the foot of a mango tree. The gardener
found her and brought her to the city. She was known as the mango
guardians girl. And such was her beauty, grace and charm that
many young princes strove with each other to possess her. Finally she
was appointed as courtesan or ganika in the town of Vaishali.
Her raving beauty prompted the rival Magadhan neighbor to appoint a
parallel courtesan for their capital city Rajagriha.
Buddha and his followers
were not averse to courtesans. He accepted Ambapalis invitation
and went to her residence with his Bhikku Sangha to take their meals.
When Buddha had finished his meals she dedicated her mango grove to
the Bhikku Sangha. The way in which Ambapali went to receive Buddha
with her retinue and vehicles shows that her paraphernalia was almost
royal. Ambapali soon accepted the Buddhist faith and remained famous
as one of the most loyal and generous supporters of the Buddhist
order. Around this time a nunnery was founded here where the famous
Buddhist nun, Bhadra, resided.
Vaishali, 55 km from
Patna, does not appear to have changed much, though the Buddhists and
their monasteries are nowhere to be seen. But still the picturesque
village surrounded by banana and mango grove amidst paddy fields
offers enough relics to recreate the past.
The best place to begin
your tour is Kolhua where a life size lion pillar beside a brick
stupa is all set to greet you. It commemorates the spot where Buddha
preached his last sermon. The sandstone pillar supporting an inverted
lotus shaped capital with a life sized lion faces norththe
direction Buddha took on his last voyage. History further unfolds
here with the legend of the monkey chief offering honey to lord
Buddha and digging up a tank for his comfortable stay. The stupa was
originally built by Emperor Ashoka with lime plaster over it but
subsequently enlarged by bricks during the Kushan period. Surrounding
it are a cluster of votive stupas with a small temple amidst them.
Nearby are the remains of a monastery and a large tank where Buddha
resided during his sojourn.
From Kolhua, drive back
to the Vaishali museum, which houses archaeological remains
discovered at various sites in Vaishali. Close to the museum is a
circular tin shed. One may dismiss it as a rain shelter amidst a
small park but thanks to the board that speaks all about the remains
of a stupa. Under the shed lie the remnants of the stupa which once
housed the Buddhas funeral ashes. These were found in a casket
buried in the relic chamber along with a beautiful terracotta head of
the Buddha (now preserved in the National Museum, Delhi).
History records that
after the cremation of Lord Buddha, by the Mallas of Kushinagra, his
ashes wre divided among the six heads of state (Ajatasatru of
Magadha, Shakyas of Kapilavastu, Bulis of Alikappa, Koliyas of
Ramagrama, Brahmins of Vethadipa and Lichchhavis of Vaishali) and the
two mallas of Kushinagra and Pawa. The Lichchhavis received
1/8 of his ashes and they buried it here under the mud stupa which
was later enlarged by the Mauryas, Sungas and Kushans.
On the other front of the
museum is the Abhishekh Pushkarni or the Coronation Tank of the
Lichchhavis. A little distance away is the Raja Vishala ka Garhan
excavated site (kilometer in circumference) that is believed to be
the remains of the ancient parliament house where the federal
assembly gathered to discuss and regulate the ancient republic. The
original building can hardly be construed but it is believed to have
had an eight feet high wall and a 140 ft deep moat around it.
Four kilometres away at
Kundupur is a commemorative plaque, marking the birthplace of Lord
Mahavira. Also at Vaishali is the famous dargah of Miranji
which houses the relics of a 15th century saint, Mohammed
Faizullah Qazim.
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