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

68 CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM, VOL. III.
constitution," which led to the establishment of their era, took place; and so also, in the
other direction, does the mention of them in the Allahâbâd pillar inscription, among the tribes
subjugated by Samudragupta, shew that, down to his time at least, they maintained their
tribal constitution and importance. And, if we were compelled to have recourse to a new
era, these coins might justifiably induce us to select, as its epoch, B.C. 223, the date fixed
by General Cunningham for the death of Asôka;¹ which would make the date of Mâlava-
Samvat 493 correspond with A.D. 270, or well on into the first decade of Kumâragupta's
reign according to General Cunningham's theory. But this entails, as I have said, the
supposition of the existence of an era, of which not the slightest indication has ever yet
been afforded by the very numerous inscriptions that have now been examined from all
parts of the country; and this is an expedient that must by all possible means be avoided.
And, further, it forces the Kaṇaswa inscription of Mâlava-Samvat 795, and the ' Gyâras-
pur' inscription of Mâlava-Samvat 936, back to respectively A.D. 572 and 713; periods to
which, from their alphabets, they cannot possibly belong. And thus,—since, within certain
limits, palæographical evidence must be followed,—it creates a palæographical difficulty
that is insuperable. So also does the third result, to practically the same extent; and the
first, to a still more marked degree.
The fourth result, on the contrary, satisfies all the palæographical requirements of the
case. And it brings us so very close to B.C. 57, the commencement of the well-known
Vikrama era,—which, by the tradition of later times, is closely connected with the
country of the Mâlavas, through the name of its supposed founder, king Vikramâditya,
whose capital, Ujjain, was the principal city in Mâlwa,—that we are compelled to find in
it the solution of the question, and to adjust the equation of the dates thus,—Gupta-Sam-
vat 113 (the mean date for Kumâragupta) + A.D. 319-20 = A.D. 432-33; and Mâlava-
Samvat 493 — B.C. 57-56 = A.D. 436-37; which, of course, falls well within the seventeen
years of Kumâragupta's reign, remaining after his mean date.
My new Mandasôr inscription, therefore, proves — (1) that any statement by
Albêrûnî that the Early Gupta power came to an end in or about A.D. 319, must certain-
ly be wrong;—(2) that, on the contrary, Kumâragupta's dynastic dates,—and, with them,
those of his father Chandragupta II., and his son Skandagupta, which belong undeniably to
the same series; and also any others which can be shewn to run uniformly with them,—
must be referred to the epoch of A.D. 319-20, or thereabouts, brought to notice by Albêrûnî
and substantiated by the Verâwal inscription of Valabhî-Samvat 945:—and (3) incidentally,
that, under another name, connecting it with the Mâlava tribe, the Vikrama era did un-
doubtedly exist anterior to A.D. 544, which, as we have seen, at page 55 above, was held by
Mr. Fergusson to be the year in which it was invented. These results are, of course, inde-
pendent of the question whether the Early Guptas established an era of their own, with the
above-mentioned epoch, or whether they only adopted the era of some other dynasty.

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¹ Corp. Inscr. Indic. Vol. I. Preface, p. vii.