146 
S. C. Vidyabhusana— Licchavi race of ancient India . [No. 2, 
community of old. In the celebrated canonical Pali scripture, called 
Amguttara-nikaya (Book III) we read of two Licchavi youths named 
Abhaya and Pandita-Kumaraka holding very high metaphysical discus¬ 
sions with Ananda, while in the Mahavamsa (Chap. XCIX) the Licchavi 
princes of Vaisali are mentioned as being the typical examples of those 
who live in peace and harmony. The famous Buddhaghosa of the 5th 
century A.D., in his Pali commentary on the Dhammapada (Chap. XYI, 
verse 7), cites an anecdote in which Buddha is made to hold a very high 
spiritual conversation with the Licchavi priests of Vaisali. 
The political influence which the Licchavis attained in India did not 
m-. ^_ jj _ cease with the termination of their sov- 
The political ana so¬ 
cial influences of the ereignty in Magadha. It is true they were 
Licchavis. succeeded by kings of the Nanda dynasty, 
but the people continued to respect them as rulers. The Buddhist 
works, of both the Northern and Southern Schools, have uniformly 
designated them as Kumaras, Kumara being a hereditary title of the 
Licchavis. Now the word Kumara is a synonym for Baja-putra and 
signifies a prince. In the Gaya copperplate Inscription of Samudra- 
Gupta, we find that, in about 320 B.C., the celebrated Indian emperor, 
Chandra Gupta, married Kumara-devi, who was daughter of a Licchavi 
prince. 1 “ That the Licchavis were then at least of equal rank and power 
with the early Guptas is shown by the pride in this alliance manifested 
by the latter.” 
It is curious that kings of Nepal, Tibet, Ladak and Mongolia, too, 
trace their descent from the Licchavis. In 
the^Licchavi r^c© 110 ^ 1 accordance with the Vamsavali of Nepal, and 
the inscriptions published in the Indian 
Antiquary (Vols. IX, XIII, and XIV), we find that the Licchavis 
gradually attained such a great power and honour in Nepal that they 
became regarded there as a branch of the Surya-vamsa or solar race. 
The Nepal kings carry their descent from the sun and come down to 
Dasaratha. After Dasaratha there are said to have been eight kings in 
lineal succession, and then there was the illustrious Licchavi. After 
Licchavi there were some kings and then was born the illustrious king 
Supuspa. The 24th in descent from him was Java-deva I, who has been 
treated by Bhagavan Lai Indraji as the first historical member of the 
Licchavi family and the founder of the Nepal branch of it. After Jaya- 
deva I there were eleven kings and then came Vrsa-deva, Samkara-deva, 
Dharma-deva, Mana-deva,Mahi-deva, and Vasanta-deva. It is unnecessary 
to enumerate here the numerous kings who succeeded Vasanta-deva. 
r ' ■ ' - " ■ ' : * ') ) 
C • ; - * -* • 
1 Dr. Fleet, Inscriptions of the early Gupta Kings, p. 256. 
