RAS question
Which Mahajanapada had a republican form of government with the Lichchhavi clan as the ruling class?
Correct answer: (D) Vajji.
The Vajji Mahajanapada had a republican form of government, with the Lichchhavis of Vaishali as a leading ruling clan within the Vajji union.
Explanation
Vajji is the right answer because it was an eight-state republic north of the Ganga, extending towards the Nepalese hills, with the Lichchhavi, Videha and Grahtrika among its important constituent states. Vaishali was the capital of the Lichchhavis and the capital of the Vajji state union. This fits the question's clue: a republican, or gana-rajya, structure linked specifically to the Lichchhavi clan. The wider context also fits: Vajji was later annexed by Ajatashatru of Magadha, after Vassakara's diplomacy created divisions among the Lichchhavis before Ajatashatru defeated the Vajji sangha.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Kamboja is not the Mahajanapada described in the clue; it was in the north-west and had monarchy in the Mahabharata era before a later republican phase, without linking it to Lichchhavis or Vaishali.
- (B) Kuru does not fit the Lichchhavi clue, as it was initially monarchical and only later republican, with no connection to the Vaishali-based Lichchhavis.
- (C) Malla was also a republic, but it was separate near Kushinagar, with branches at Kushinara and Pava, not the Lichchhavi-led Vajji union.
Concept
This tests the Mahajanapada-period distinction between monarchies and gana-sanghas. RAS repeats it because ancient polity questions often turn on matching republics, clans and capitals rather than memorising only the list of sixteen Mahajanapadas.