The Ancient Indian Republics - The “Gana”s

Tywin Lannister

If you ask any 4th standard student - “Who introduced the system of Republic Government?” , the equivocal answer would be - “The Greeks” !!

But here, I would briefly describe a republican administrative system which originated in India & was all rage throughout the subcontinent, at least thousands of years before the Greeks.

This was the “Gana” system of administration.

Brief Description :

The whole kingdom was divided into several “gana- sangha” based on lineage or profession or clan & each “gana-sangh” had a “sangha-mukhya”, that is leader of the clan. The “sangha-mukhya” was elected by the gana members.

These sangha-mukhyas debated & decided on the administration of state - the tax system, the education system, the war policies, foreign relations, etc. Finally, the decision was taken by a majority vote.

Most importantly, the wealth of the state didn’t belong to any particular person, rather it was the shared property of “everyone”. Trade was mainly carried out through barter system, before the introduction of currency at much later date…

This system was widely prevalent during the early stages of the Aryan Migration in India in states like Briji, Malla, Anga (where Karna was appointed ruler), the Himalayan states, etc.

The most notable form of “Gana” system, which we see in the Mahabharata, was that of the Yadavas.

The Yadavas were divided into various clans, mainly based on their lineage - the Vrishnis, the Andhaks, the Kukuras, the Bhojas, etc.

Kamsa belonged to the Bhoja clan, Ugrasena to the Kukura clan, our Lord Krishna belonged to the Vrishni clan.

Kamsa, emboldened by support from Jarasandha, tried to destroy the Gana system by declaring himself as the King ! This led to his conflict, initially with Vasudeva (Krishna’s father) & finally with Krishna himself, which led to Kamsa’s demise.

In fact, Krishna obtained the support of the other “sangha-mukhyas” like Satyaki, Niladri & oppressed Brahmins like Maharshi Garg, Rishi Kadam, etc. in his battle with Kamsa.

The mighty glorious Kuru kingdom of Hastinapur was initially a Gana-kingdom.

Similarly, several other kingdoms in the fertile Doab region (land between the Ganga & the Yamuna) were “Ganas”…

The Explorer’s Accounts

The Greek historian & ethnographer, Megathenes, in his travels throughout India in 3rd century BC, noted the presence of 16 “mahajanapadas” or big cities or settlements across India.

They were :

• Anga
• Assaka (or Asmaka)
• Avanti
• Chedi
• Gandhara
• Kashi
• Kamboja
• Kosala
• Kuru
• Magadha
• Malla
• Machcha (or Matsya)
• Panchala
• Surasena
• Vriji
• Vatsa (or Vamsa)
  

Among them, at least 2–3 mahajanapadas like Briji, Kosala, Vaishali, etc. were oligarchic republics…

Infact Vaishali is considered by some historians as the first republic of the world.

Decline

So, why did this marvelous system of administration change to a “One-man system” i.e. Monarchy?

The main reason is Accumulation of wealth & the Surplus of production.

The fertile lands in the banks of the major rivers like the Ganga, the Sone, the Yamuna, etc. yielded huge amount of crops which in no way could be consumed by the local populace.

Thus the question arose: Who is the owner of this surplus production? The Gana system could not effectively answer this question, because not all ganas produce the same quantity of crops.

Next, with the flourish in trade & commerce & with the victories in battles, an abundance of foreign wealth accumulated in the kingdoms. It is the basic nature of wealth that it induces greed on the person who owns it. Thus most of the “sangha-mukhiyas” indulged in pomp & grandeur & administration took a backseat.

The sangha-mukhyas vied each other for superiority & the old adage of “All men are equal” was forgotten…

All these factors led bloody conflicts which often resulted in the victory of any powerful sangha-mukhya, who announced himself as the “King”.

Also, since man’s greed knows no limit, the new monarchs (who were once “Sangh-mukhyas”) warred against the existing weak Ganas, thereby defeating them & bringing their lands under his control.

Thus gradually, the subcontinent was divided into a number of small “monarchies” & the old republican system gradually became extinct…

Bibliography :

• “Mahabharat” by Suddhashatwa Ghosh - Abhijan Publisers
• “Katha Amrita saman” by Nrisinghaprasad Bhaduri - Deys Publishers.
• “The Forest of Stories” by Ashok Kr. Banker.
• “The Ten Kings” by Ashok Kr. Banker.
• Several articles in the Internet.
  

rkrishnay

Grama Sabhas according to 74 amendment to Indian Constitution precisely aimed at to establish self-rule in the lines of Ganas. Unfortunately, our politicians are not making it happen except in Kerala

theReddy

I guess more books on these topics should be uploaded here.

jayyogeswarusa

Very good detail. What i feel from Mahabharata is even Kurus and Pandvas are group of ganas.  Kurus are 100 small hill based kingdoms rely on hunting and Pandvas are agriculture base five kingdom. This difference of source difference of choice lead to mahabharata war.

soothsayer

very informative,\. thanks

Theskpd

Very nice post with clearly defined logic. Well done.

Arkitekt

Good info. Will read Ashok K banker next. :-D

themaskeditor

Thanks for sharing, Good knowledge

Tywin Lannister

Thanks, everybody !!!

Tywin Lannister

Arkitekt 17-4-2018 11:01 AM
Good info. Will read Ashok K banker next. :-D

Ha ha...Surely do..

Tywin Lannister

Theskpd 16-4-2018 10:46 PM
Very nice post with clearly defined logic. Well done.

Thank you very much !!!