**Unlike the previous posts, the story of Vaishali will be narrated in two parts. I tried my best to fit all the information in one post but I realized that I would not be doing justice to the rich historical narrative that this place holds and hence here is the first part. Happy Reading!!!
The word ‘home’ has a unique meaning for every one of us; it might be a place, a person, or just a feeling. For me it is a place on earth which will always be my constant, a place that has shaped my identity, and a place that has witnessed some of the great historical moments of our past but just as a bystander. Hajipur, a town in the Vaishali district of Bihar, is where I was born and experienced the amazing time of the formative years of my life. I have a repository full of fond memories of that time and it will not be hard to guess that some of those are closely associated with encounter to historic sites located close to my hometown. One of those sites are the ruins of ancient Vaishali which is located in a village known as Basarh of Muzaffarpur district. The site is almost an hour away from Hajipur and that is why it was one of the most frequented sites in my early years. Whether a family outing, school trips, or a cursory visit to decide the area of study for my post-graduation thesis; every visit to this place has been memorable. It would not be wrong to say that it is the sole site that has seen me grow from a curious child to the heritage loving professional that I am today.
Before delving into the historical narrative of ancient Vaishali and understanding the context of the ruins that exist today, it is essential to know about the geography and riverine system of the state. State of Bihar has three geographical regions: Shivalik Region in the north which is basically the foothills of Himalayan Range, Southern Plateau Region which is a part of the larger Chhota Nagpur Plateau, and the Gangetic Plains which forms a large part of the state in the middle. The entire stretch of the state is divided into two parts by River Ganga which is today known as North and South Bihar and rivers like Gandak, Kosi, Son, and Champa are its tributaries. Historically, these geographical components formed the boundaries of a region which had an impact on the lifestyle, language, cultural practices, and traditional knowledge system. These components were also used to define administrative areas of the parties in rule and in case of ancient Bihar they formed the boundaries of three of sixteen mahajanaapadas[i] that existed in India; this is story of one of those great footholds.
Source – https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mahajanapadas
According to Jain belief, the present district of Muzaffarpur and other parts of North Bihar formed a part of the kingdom of Videha with Vaishali its capital. However, a contradiction can be seen in Puranas and Ramayana which mentions that Vaishali or Vaisali was a separate kingdom and was established by Raja Vaisala. A list of 34 kings of Vaisali starting from King Vaisala has also been mentioned in Vishnupurana which strengthens this theory.
Over time the monarchy of Vaisali gave way to an oligarchical republic and Vaisali appears in the list of sixteen mahajanapadas by the name of Vriji or Vajji Republic. Most likely to have been established around 700 BCE, the kingdom was bounded by Gandak River on the west, Kosi River on the east, and mighty Ganga on the southern side. The republic was formed of eight confederate clans of which Lichchhavis were the most important[ii]. Vaisali being the capital, was at its height of prosperity which led to its repeated mentions in Buddhist and Jain scriptures and literature. One of the Jain sutras describes Mahavira as Vaisalika, or a resident of Vaisali.
Buddhism arrived in Vaishali after an invitation was extended to Gautam Buddha by the residents to help them overcome the drought and plague that was ravaging the region. It is said that with his arrival the residents were relieved as miraculously both drought and plague were gone which resulted in numerous converts to Buddhism. Buddha also gave an audience to Lichchhavis and the nagarvadhu or the royal courtesan Ambapali (or Amrapali). In the fifth year of his ministry, Buddha visited Vaisali again and established Buddhist order of nuns. He visited the city many times after that and every time he stayed at Kutagarasala Vihara, a two storeyed monastery located on the outskirts of the city. Before his death, he graced the land again on his way to Kushinagara and spent his days in the mango groves of Amrapali. Buddha is said to have praised Vaisali for the prosperity and constitution of the Lichchhavis. Due to their intense devotion to Buddha, one of the eight parts of the mortal remains of Buddha was brought to Vaisali by the Lichchhavis after he attained Mahaparinirvana in 483 BCE. The remains were then buried in a casket and a mud stupa was built over it.
Source – https://tourism.bihar.gov.in/en/destinations/vaishali/vishwa-shanti-stupa
Continued in the next part…….
[i] Mahajanapadas were the great ancient kingdoms and oligarchical republics of India.
[ii] There is little evidence of how the clan of Lichchhavis originated but the members of this clan fled to Nepal during the annexation by Magadh rulers and established a kingdom which ruled the land for several centuries.
Sources:
- O’Malley, L.S.S. 1907. Bihar District Gazetteer: Muzaffarpur District. Patna.
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Vaishali
- https://tourism.bihar.gov.in/en/destinations/vaishali/
Echoes of Time 