Forms of Government in the Buddha Era

Abstract

There were two forms of government in India in the Buddha era. The fi rst form was a monarchy and the second was Samaggi-Dhamma or an aristocracy. The monarchy was a form in which the state was absolutely dominated by a ruler who could expand his kingdom widely, while Samaggi-Dhamma emphasized unity. Normally, in both forms, the ruler had to be a man from Kshatriya caste, who would become a ruler by succession. This belief was infl uenced by the concept of caste in Brahmanism. This research has shown that the ruler called a king did not always have to be from the Kshatriya caste; people from other castes could also be a king.