Who among the following belonged to a gana?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Vardhamana Mahavira
While most mahajanapadas were ruled by kings, some, known as ganas or sanghas, were oligarchies, and both Mahavira and the Buddha belonged to such ganas.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 First amongst the sixteen: Magadha … Early Buddhist and Jaina texts (see also Chapter 4) mention, amongst other things, sixteen states known as mahajanapadas. Although the lists vary, some names such as Vajji, Magadha, Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara and Avanti occur frequently. Clearly, these were amongst the most important mahajanapadas. While most mahajanapadas were ruled by kings, some, known as ganas or sanghas, were oligarchies (p. 30), where power was shared by a number of men, often collectively called rajas. Both Mahavira and the Buddha (Chapter 4) belonged to such ganas.…” |