Shākya (śākya) Skt. (Pali, Sakka); a noble clan from which the historical Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama came and which ruled one of the sixteen states into which the India of his time was splintered. The Shākyas occupied the area of present-day southern Nepal. Their capital was Kapilavastu, where the Buddha was born and grew up. The Buddha’s father, Suddhodana, was then the king of the Shākya state.
The Shākyas had formed an aristocratic republic, ruled by a council of elders (sangha) but to a certain extent dependent upon the state of Koshala. The clan was nearly entirely wiped out by a hostile Koshalan king during the life time of the Buddha.
Many Shākyas entered the Buddhist order when the Buddha returned to Kapilavastu after his enlightenment to teach. The simple barber Upāli was the first to be ordained as a monk and thus was ranked higher in the sangha than the leading personalities of the state.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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