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

THE GUPTA INSCRIPTIONS; INTRODUCTION 85
śrî-Siṁha-saṁ 151 varshê Ashâḍha va di 13 Ravâv=ady=êha ............ iha śrî-Sôma-
nâthadêva-pattanê,—"the year 662 of the prophet Mahammada, who is the teacher of the
sailors connected with (the temple of) the holy (god) Viśvanâtha; so also the year
1320 of the glorious king Vikrama; so also the year 945 of the famous (city of)
Valabhî; so also the year 151 of the glorious Siṁha; in (this) year; the month Âshâḍha;
the dark fortnight;¹ the (solar) day 13; on Sunday; to-day (and) here; ............
here, in the city of the holy god Sômanâtha."
This gives us, for calculation, Valabhî-Saṁvat 945, current; the month Âshâḍha
(June-July); the dark fortnight; the thirteenth solar day of the fortnight, with whatever
tithi, presumably the thirteenth, fell on it; and Ravivâra, or Sunday. And,—as the
mention of the year 1320 of the Vikrama era, and of the year 662 of the prophet Muḥam-
mad, which is the year 662 of the well-known Hijra era, and commenced² on Sunday,
the 4th November, A.D. 1263, and ended on Saturday, the 23rd October, A.D. 1264,
shews that the Valabhî era quoted in this record must have had its starting-point in or
about A.D. 319, and must of necessity be the Valabhî era that is mentioned by Albêrûnî,
—in accordance with the results obtained for the date in the Êraṇ inscription, the given
tithi should belong to Valabhî-Saṁvat 945 + 242 = Śaka-Saṁvat 1187 current (A.D.
1264-65): and, in using Hindu Tables, the calculation should be made with the basis of
Śaka-Saṁvat 1186 expired.
Before proceeding to the results, however, there are some preliminary points to be
noted. The first is, that, as the inscription is specifically connected with a locality in
Kâṭhiâwâḍ, the presumption is that the Vikrama year quoted in it, is a southern
Vikrama year, commencing with the first day of the bright fortnight of the month
¹ The syllable va, in the original, either is an abbreviation of vadya, whether alone or in compo-
sition with paksha or pakshê, or stands for ba, the abbreviation of bahula, similarly either alone or in
composition with paksha or pakshê.—As regards the point that ba di, or va di, and śu di, are
separate technical abbreviations, not words in themselves, see page 92 (Text and Translations),
note 1.—Just as di is sometimes used with ba or va and śu, and sometimes is omitted, so in the
Nêpâl inscriptions (see Appendix IV. below) the indeclinable divâ, 'by day,' is sometimes used, and
sometimes not, in connection with the number of the tithi. So also sometimes di, or one of its full
forms, dina, dinê, divasa, or divasê, is used without any specification of the fortnight. The exact
meaning of the differences of practice in this respect, is not quite certain; and could only be settled
by a large number of calculations. But it seems evident that, when di is used, or any of its full
forms, the reference is to the solar day, in conformity with what would naturally be the most ancient
reckoning; not to the lunar tithi. If, at a subsequent period, the solar days became subject to ex-
punction and repetition, with the lunar tithis, then the running number in the fortnight will always
be the same for both the lunar tithi and the solar day. If not, then the thirteenth tithi, for instance,
might fall at any time on the twelfth or the fourteenth solar day, as counted without repetition or ex-
punction from the commencement of the fortnight. And, in the differences of expression, there may
perhaps be a reference to some such difference in the notation
² See Indian Eras, p. 126.