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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS INTRODUCTION. 67

though, in commenting on this latter inscription, General Cunningham expressed the
opinion¹ that this Mâlava era must be the same as the era of Vikramâditya of Ujjain,
commencing in B.C. 57, this point has not hitherto been capable of proof ; for the reason
that neither of these two dates gave sufficient details for actual computation, or any other
available grounds for historical identification. Nor does the Mandasôr inscription, now
brought to notice, furnish any details for calculation. But, in its mention of Kumâra-
gupta, it answers the purpose equally well.
Turning to the Gupta inscriptions and coins, the earliest and latest dates that we have
for Kumâragupta, are, respectively, Gupta-Saṁvat 96 and 130 odd. The first is estab-
lished by his well-known Bilsaḍ pillar inscription, No. 10, page 42 ; and the latter, by one
of General Cunningham's coins.² Lest, however, the coin-date should be looked upon as
at all doubtful, we must note also his Mankuwâr inscription, No. 11, page 45, dated Gupta-
Saṁvat 129. And, of these extreme dates, we may take Gupta-Samvat 113 as the
mean.
Applying this mean year to the various theories regarding the epoch of the Gupta era,
it represents — (1) according to Mr. Thomas, A.D. 190-91 ; (2) according to General
Cunningham, A.D. 279-80 ; (3) according to Sir E. Clive Bayley, A.D. 303-304 ; and
(4) according to my own view, A.D. 432-33.
Next, applying to these figures the date of Mâlava-Saṁvat 493 expired, recorded for
Kumâragupta in the inscription under notice, we find that the initial point of the Mâlava
era must lie within a few years on either side of — (1) B.C. 301 ; (2) B.C. 214 ; (3) B.C.
190 ; and (4) B.C. 61-60.
The first three results, however, each entail the supposition of a brand-new era, hither-
to unheard-of, and entirely unexpected. At the same time, as regards the second possible
result of about B.C. 214, we must not overlook the existence of certain coins, found in
large numbers at Nâgar in the north of Mâlwa, about forty-five miles north of Kôṭâ, and
originally brought to notice by Mr. Carlleyle,³ which have on them the legend Mâlavânâṁ
jayaḥ, "the victory of the Mâlavas," in characters ranging, in General Cunningham's
opinion, "from perhaps B.C. 250 to A.D. 250." These coins shew that the Mâlavas existed,
as a recognised and important clan, long before the time when, as I consider, their "tribal

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original scheme of the Vikrama years is the one commencing with the first day of the bright fortnight
of Kârttika (October-November). And Kârttika is still the second month in the Hindu autumn,
according to the usual division of the six seasons. It seems, however, to be more properly the first
autumn month, according to the true southern division of the seasons. And it appears also to have
been the first month of a season, when the year was divided, in ancient times, into only three
seasons.
¹ Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. X. p. 34. ² id. Vol. IX. p. 24, and Plate v. No. 7.
³ id. Vol. VI. pp. 165 f., and 174 ff. see also id. Vol. XIV. p. 149 ff., and Pl. xxxi. Nos. 19 to 25
³ 2b