गुप्त अभिलेख संग्रह (जे. एफ. फ्लीट - गुप्त सम्राटों एवं परवर्ती नरेशों के ऐतिहासिक पाषाण व ताम्रलेख)

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS INTRODUCTION 127
whether the era was actually established by the Early Guptas themselves, we must refer
the rise of the Early Gupta power to somewhere about A.D. 319, instead of
placing the period of their supremacy anterior to that year, and their downfall
in it.
A few concluding words, however, seem necessary as to the exact years of the
Christian era, which represent respectively the epoch or year 0, and the commencement
or first current year, of the Gupta-Valabhî era.
Taking the years quoted in the records without qualification, as current years,
we have obtained the following results,¹—by the Êraṇ pillar inscription of Budhagupta,
Gupta-Saṁvat 165 current = A.D. 484-85 current;² by the Parivrâjaka grants, 156 current
= A.D. 475-76 current;³ 163 current = A.D. 482-83 current;⁴ 191 current = A.D. 510-11
current;⁵ and 209 current = A.D. 528-29 current;⁶ by the Nêpâl inscription of Mânadêva,
386 current = A.D. 705-706 current;⁷ and by the Verâwal inscription of Arjunadêva,
945 current = A.D. 1264-65 current.⁸ And all these equations give the uniform result of
Gupta-Valabhî-Saṁvat 0 = A.D. 319-20 current, or more precisely, by the Śaka
year, the period from the 9th March, A.D. 319, to the 25th February, A.D. 320;⁹ and
Gupta-Valabhî-Saṁvat 1 current = A.D. 320-21 current, or more precisely, by the
Śaka year, the period from the 26th February, A.D. 320, to the 15th March, A.D. 321.
The results obtained from the Kaira grant of the year 330 and the Verâwal inscription
of Valabhî-Saṁvat 927, differ slightly from the above, and are—Gupta-Valabhî-Saṁvat
330 current = A.D. 648-49 current;¹⁰ and Valabhî-Saṁvat 927 current = A.D. 1245-46
current.¹¹ In these two instances the difference is due to a local alteration of the true and
¹ I exclude the Bhumarâ pillar inscription, as proving nothing definite, because the Gupta year is
not given in it.
² Or, more precisely, by the Śaka year, as commencing with Chaitra śukla 1, the period (see
Indian Eras, p. 153) from the 14th March, A.D. 484, to the 2nd March, A.D. 485.—The dates given
in these notes are quoted as approximately correct; they may, or may not, be the exact dates.
³ Or, in the same way, the period from the 21st February, A.D. 475, to the 11th March, A.D. 476.
⁴ Or, in the same way, the period from the 6th March, A.D. 482, to the 22nd February, A.D. 483.
⁵ Or, in the same way, the period from the 25th February, A.D. 510, to the 15th March, A.D.
511.
⁶ Or, in the same way, the period from the 8th March, A.D. 528, to the 24th February, A.D. 529.
⁷ Or, in the same way, the period from the 1st March, A.D. 705, to the 20th March, A.D. 706.
⁸ Or, in the same way, the period from the 1st March, A.D. 1264, to the 19th March, A.D. 1265.
⁹ Here I owe the initial and ending dates, which it was desirable to have exactly, to Mr. Sh. B.
Dikshit.
¹⁰ Or, more precisely, by the southern Vikrama year, as commencing with Kârttika śukla 1, the
period (see C. Patell's Chronology, p. 122) from the 24th September, A.D. 648, to the 12th October,
A.D. 649.
¹¹ Or in the same way, the period from the 23rd October, A.D. 1245, to the 12th October, A.D.
1246.