Buli (tribe)

Buli (Pāli: Buli) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Buli, the Bulayas, were organised into a gaṇasaṅgha (an aristocratic oligarchic republic), presently referred to as the Buli Republic.^[1]

Buli
c. 7th century BCE–c. 5th-4th century BCE
The Mahajanapadas in the post-Vedic period. Buli was located close to the north of Magadha.
Capital	Allakappa
Common languages	Prakrit Sanskrit
Religion	Buddhism Historical Vedic religion Jainism
Demonym(s)	Bulaya
Government	Republic
Rājā
Historical era	Iron Age
• Established	c. 7th century BCE
• Conquered by Magadha	c. 5th-4th century BCE
Succeeded by Magadha
Today part of	India Nepal

Location

The territory of the Bulayas was said to be located "near Magadha", and their neighbours were the Brāhmaṇa tribe of Veṭhadīpa-Droṇagrāma.^[1]

The capital city of the Bulayas was the city of Allakappa and some scholars have attempted to identify this city with modern-day Bettiah and other places in Champaran district however these are considered to be just guesses.^[1]

Name

The exact origin of the name of the Buli tribe is unknown, although it might have been derived from the Sanskrit root bul (Sanskrit: बुल्), meaning to "cause to sink" or "to submerge."^[1]

The name of the Bulaya capital of Allakappa might have been a compound of the terms alla, meaning "moist" or "wet," and kappa (kalpa in Sanskrit), meaning "anything made with a definite object in view" or "that which is fit and suitable." The name Allakappa would thus have meant "suitably damp" or "almost damp."^[1]

History

The Bulayas became Buddhists during the life of the Buddha, and after he died and was cremated in the city of Kusinārā, the Bulayas sent a messenger to the Mallakas of Kusinārā to demand a share of his relics.^[1]

Political and social organisation

Republican institutions

The Bulayas were a kṣatriya tribe organised into a gaṇasaṅgha (an aristocratic oligarchic republic).^[1]

The Assembly

Like the other gaṇasaṅgha, the ruling body of the Buli republic was an Assembly of the kṣatriya elders who held the title of rājās (meaning "chiefs").^[1]

The Council

The Assembly met rarely, and the administration of the republic was instead in the hands of the Council, which was a smaller body of the Assembly, whose members were elected from the assembly. The Council met more often than the Assembly.^[1]

The Consul

The Bulaya Assembly elected for life a consul rājā who held the title of Allakappa-rājā ("chief of Alakappa"). The consul rājā administered the republic with the assistance of the Assembly and Council.^[1]