________________
22
THE CHRONOLOGICAL SYSTEMS OF GUJARAT
Nahapāna or Cāșțana, who appeared to be of the Saka race".
Later tradition ascribes the origin of this era to the famous popular king Sālivāhana of the Deccan, but in view of chronological data given in early records, the majority of scholars identified this era with the era used in the records of the Kuşāņa King Kaniska I and his successors, ascribing the epoch of this era to 78 A. D.12
As regards the era used in the records of the Westen Kşatrapas and its origin, the following points also deserve special consideration : (i) During the early centuries the era was not intro
duced by any specific name. The year of the era was referred to simply as Varșa or Samvutsara.'3
The earliest association of the era with the Śakas can be traced to its 5th cent. in epigraphic records14 as well as in literary works.15 The use
of this name continued upto its 13th century. (ii) Later on the word Śaka came to be used in the 11. JBBRAS., Vol. IX, pp. 139 ff., BG., Vol. 1, part I. pp. 26 f.,
JRAS., 1913, pp. 966 ff., AHD., p. 35 12. Fergusson, JRAS, Vol. XII, pp. 259 ff. and others. Vide also
D. C. Sircar, Indian Epigraphy, pp 258. ff. 13. D. C. Sircar, IE., p. 259: 14. The earliest Saka date in the Cālukya records is 465 i.e. 543
A. €. (Ibid., p. 259, f.n.2). 15. Lokavibhāga by Simhasüri claims to have been composed in
Ś. E. 380 (458 A. C.) and associates the era with the Ŝikas (D. C. Sircar, IE., p. 259). But it is not certain whether the claim of the date can be accepted with respect to the work in the present form...
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org