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THE DIFFERENT ERAS USED IN GUJARAT DURING THE ANCIE NT PERIOD 235

Ksatrapa king Nahapana⁶ musi be taken as his regnal years and that the reign of the Ksaharfita kings must be dated belore A. D. 78.

The dales given on coins comprise only years, while those given in stone inscriptions consist of the year, the lunar month, the fortnight (brighl or dark) and the lunar day. The years of the Saka Era commence with Caitra throughout the country, but its monlhs end with Purnima and with Am9vasya in South India. In the absence of conesponding weekdays it is not possible to decide which system was followed in Gujarat during this period.⁷

Under the regime of the Gupta sovereigns the Saka Era was replaced by the Gupta Era. It commenced in A. D. 319. Its years were CailrSdi and the monlhs were Purnimanta. The Gupta Era seems to have been reckoned sińce the coronation of the Gupta sovereign Chandragupta I.⁷ The era was also used in the inscriptions of the Saindhava kings of subsequent times.

In South Gujarat anothcr era came into vogue during the period. The original name of this era is unknown. It was in vogue in South Gujarat from year 207 to year 490. It is identificd with the Kalacuri or Cedi Era used in the Kalacuri kingdom in the Cedi region during year 722 to 969. Some have ascribed the origin of this earlier era to the AbhTra king Iśvarasena of Nasik.⁸ Like the Gupta Era this era also got extinct in course of limę. The epoch of the era is A. D. 249. The years of this era were Karttikadi. Its months were probably Amanta.

The copperplate inscriptions of the Maitraka kingdom are dated in years 183 to 447 of an unspecilicd era. The Maitraka kings of ValabhT adopted it from the Gupta empire, but they madę a modification in the system of its years. The years of the Gupta Era were Caitradi, while the years given in the Maitraka records were Kartlikadi, the years in the modified era commencing five months earlier than the corresponding years of the Gupta Era.⁹ The modified era used by kings of ValabhT later on got known as the Valabhl Era.

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The Saka Era which was extinct in Gujarat for about iwo centuries came into vogue in the Deccan. It was reintroduccd into Gujarat through the R&strakuta kings who hailed from the Deccan.¹⁰ The era is now specifically referred to as the Saka Era.¹¹

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The Hansot Plates¹² of the Cahamana king Bhartrvaddha II of Broach