Sakyā was both the name of a region and the tribe of people who lived there. Siddhattha Gotama,known to history as theBuddha, was a Sakyan. Sakyā was a small country between the much larger kingdom of Kosala and the tribal confederacy of Vajji and which corresponds to the northeast corner of the modern north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the legend, the Sakyans took their name from the saka tree, Tectona grandis, the Indian teak. Sakyans were people of the warrior caste, known for their pride and impulsiveness and were considered rustics by their neighbours (D.I,90). The Buddha described his kinsmen as being ‘endowed with wealth and energy’ (dhanaviriyena sampanno, Sn.422). Although nominally independent, the Sakyans were under the influence of their eastern neighbour. In the Tipiṭaka it says: ‘The Sakyans are vassals of the King of Kosala, they offer him humble service and salutation, do his bidding and pay him homage.’ (D.III,83). Towards the end of the Buddha’s life, his homeland was invaded by and absorbed into Kosala.

The Buddha once said to his monks that when others asked them whose philosophy they adhered to or which teacher they followed they should reply that they were ‘Scions of the Sakyan’ (D.III,84), i.e. of the Buddha. There is a community of people in Nepal called Sakyā who claim to be the direct descendants of the ancient people, although historians consider this claim to be unfounded.