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THE PERIOD OF THE WESTERN KSATRAPAS
and the latest reading of the year 6 during the reign of Caṣṭana in the Daulatpur Inscription22 made it plausible to reconsider the common view23 entirely and to accept the view that the Saka era was orginated by King Caṣṭana probably of the Saka clan, whose dynasty put it into common use in Western India for a pretty long period of more than three centuries.
On several other grounds, Kaniska I is dated in the second century A. D. rather than the 1st century A. D. Moreover, it is now held doubtful whether the Western Kṣatrapas were Viceroys of the Kuṣāņa sovereigns. The Kanişka era is now, therefore, regarded to be distinct from the Saka era and the former probably started about a century later than the Saka era.24
25
The unspecification of the name of the era during its early centuries may be explained by assuming that the era was the only prevalent era in Western India and was, therefore, known simply as 'the era'. It may be further assumed that in course of time a specific name was attached to it when it had to be distingusihed from other eras that became prevalent by this time.
The specific mention of the name appears from the 5th cent. of this era. In North India its earliest known 22. Dr. V. V. Mirashi, 'Daulatpur Inscription of the Reign of Castana, year 6', JOI, Vol. XXVIII No., pp. 34 ff.
23. H G. Shastri and Rasesh Jamindar. "The Re-consideration of the Chronological Relation between Nahapana and Caṣṭana and the Origin of the Saka Era in the Light of the Recently Known Early Dates of Caṣṭana', JOI, Vol. XXIX, Nos. 1-2, pp. 59 ff.
24. See f. n. no. 21 above.
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