Licchavi

ancient people

Also known as: Lichchhavi

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also spelled:: Lichchhavi

See all related content

Licchavi, a people of northern India. They settled (6th–5th century bce) on the north bank of the Ganges (Ganga) River in what is now Bihar state; their capital city was at Vaishali. The Licchavis were renowned for their republican government, which had a general assembly of the heads of the leading Kshatriya-caste families. They were, for a time, of considerable importance and rivaled the rising power of Magadha, forming a confederacy with other tribal groups (the so-called Vrijjian, or Vaijjian, confederacy).

The Licchavis remained influential in northern India and Nepal until about the 4th century ce. In Nepal a Licchavi dynasty is commemorated in a dating system, the Licchavi era, that began in 110 ce.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg.