RAS question
Which Mahajanapada was a republic (gana-sangha) with its capital at Vaishali?
Correct answer: (C) Vajji.
Vajji was the Mahajanapada organised as a gana-sangha, or republican confederacy, with its capital at Vaishali.
Explanation
Vajji is the right answer because NCERT identifies Vajji among the important mahajanapadas and explains that while most mahajanapadas were ruled by kings, some were ganas or sanghas where power was shared by several rajas. It specifically refers to the Vajji sangha, and the NCERT map of early states places Vaishali with Vajji. Vajji was a confederacy of eight clans, with the Lichchhavis as the most prominent, and its capital was Vaishali in modern Bihar. This is why Vajji is treated as one of the earliest known republican polities, rather than a monarchy like several other mahajanapadas.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Malla was also an ancient political unit, but its capitals were Kushinagar and Pava, not Vaishali.
- (B) Kosala does not fit the clue because it was a monarchy with its capital at Shravasti, not a gana-sangha centred on Vaishali.
- (D) Anga is ruled out because it was a monarchy with its capital at Champa, whereas the question asks for the republican Vajji centred on Vaishali.
Concept
This tests the RAS Ancient India theme of the sixteen mahajanapadas and the distinction between monarchies and gana-sanghas. It recurs because questions often ask candidates to match early states with their capitals and forms of polity.