 | This article relies on a single source. (June 2022) |
Buli | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 7th century BCE–c. 5th-4th century BCE | |||||||
.png) The Mahajanapadas in the post-Vedic period. Buli was located close to the north of Magadha. | |||||||
| Capital | Allakappa | ||||||
| Common languages | Prakrit Sanskrit | ||||||
| Religion | Buddhism Historical Vedic religion Jainism | ||||||
| Demonym | Bulaya | ||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||
| Rājā | |||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||
• Established | c. 7th century BCE | ||||||
• Conquered by Magadha | c. 5th-4th century BCE | ||||||
| |||||||
| Today part of | India Nepal | ||||||
Buli (Pāli: Buli) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Buli, the Bulayas, were organised into a gaṇasaṅgha (an aristocratic oligarchic republic), presently referred to as the Buli Republic.[1]
Location
The territory of the Bulayas was said to be located "near Magadha", and their neighbours were the Brāhmaṇa tribe of Veṭhadīpa-Droṇagrāma.[1]
The capital city of the Bulayas was the city of Allakappa and some scholars have attempted to identify this city with modern-day Bettiah and other places in Champaran district however these are considered to be just guesses.[1]
Name
The exact origin of the name of the Buli tribe is unknown, although it might have been derived from the Sanskrit root bul (Sanskrit: बुल्), meaning to "cause to sink" or "to submerge."[1]
The name of the Bulaya capital of Allakappa might have been a compound of the terms alla, meaning "moist" or "wet," and kappa (kalpa in Sanskrit), meaning "anything made with a definite object in view" or "that which is fit and suitable." The name Allakappa would thus have meant "suitably damp" or "almost damp."[1]
History
The Bulayas became Buddhists during the life of the Buddha, and after he died and was cremated in the city of Kusinārā, the Bulayas sent a messenger to the Mallakas of Kusinārā to demand a share of his relics.[1]
Political and social organisation
Republican institutions
The Bulayas were a kṣatriya tribe organised into a gaṇasaṅgha (an aristocratic oligarchic republic).[1]
The Assembly
Like the other gaṇasaṅgha, the ruling body of the Buli republic was an Assembly of the kṣatriya elders who held the title of rājās (meaning "chiefs").[1]
The Council
The Assembly met rarely, and the administration of the republic was instead in the hands of the Council, which was a smaller body of the Assembly, whose members were elected from the assembly. The Council met more often than the Assembly.[1]
The Consul
The Bulaya Assembly elected for life a consul rājā who held the title of Allakappa-rājā ("chief of Alakappa"). The consul rājā administered the republic with the assistance of the Assembly and Council.[1]
References
Sources
- Sharma, J. P. (1968). Republics in Ancient India, C. 1500 B.C.-500 B.C. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill. ISBN 978-9-004-02015-3.