Shakya (Sanskrit: kya, Devanagari: , Pli: Skya) is a Suryavanshi [1] Kshatriya [2] clan of Hindu religion. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word akya which means capable, able. The Genealogy of Shakyas is found in Book IV of Vishnu Purana,[3] the Shrimad Bhagavatam [4] and the Brahma Purana.[5]
The kyas formed an independent republican state, known as Sakya Gaa-rjya. The kya capital was Kapilavastu (Pli: Kapilavatthu) present-day Nepal, lies near to the border of present-day Uttar Pradesh state of India.[6] This system of administration is adopted by the Constitution of India which identifies India as a republican state or Ganatantra (republic).
The most famous Shakya was the prince Siddhartha Shakya (5th cent. BCE) who was the founder of Buddhism and came to be known as Gautama Buddha. Siddhartha was the son of Suddhodana. Suddodhana was the elected leader of Shakya Republic. As Gautama Buddha founded a new religion and abdicted the throne, so the lineage continued with his son Rahula.
According to Garuda Purana[7] (1.86.10-11), Buddha is the ninth avatar of Vishnu; Rama and Krishna were seventh and eighth avatars respectively.
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