Epigraphia Indica Vol 14

SR No.: 032568
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sten Konow, F W Thomas
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India
Publication Year: 1917
Total Pages: 480
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 24 MB

Page 167

140
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XIV.
time of Visvavarman''has : yātēshu chatu[r]shu kritēshu fatëshu sausyaishuafitasõttarapadishy-iha vatsarēshu bukle trayodasadinē ... Kārttikasya māsasya, "when four hundred and eighty (P) krita yours had elapsed, on the bright thirteenth day of the month Karttika."
It is quite plain from these instances that the years of the Vikrama-Milava era were at an early date characterised as krita. Sir R. Bhandarkar is inclined to explain this designation in such a way that the era " was invented by the people or astronomers for the purpose of reokoning years and was consequently originally known as krita, which means ' made.'” Dr. Fleet reminds us of the fact that the Vikrama era was never an astronomical era and suggests that there may be some connection between the designation krita and Ki-li-to, the name of a race which according to Hüan-toang seized the sovereignty in Kashmir after the death of Kanishka ; and Mahamahopadhyâya Pandit Haraprasad Sastri says that krita was the name of the first year of a cycle of years which was used in Vedio periods, though he admits that only in two of the three cases it is possible to divide the pumber of years, after the subtraction of one, by four. So far as I can see there is a much simpler explanation of the designation krita. It should be remembered that the years, and not the era, are so called. Now kita is the best throw in the play of dico, when the number of points is divisible by four. At the ritual play on the occasion of the Agnyádhěya, the father and the son who take twelve akshas each win. I think this explains the designation of the old Vikrama-Málava year as kita. It was divided into three seasons, each comprising four months.
It is evident that this arrangement of the year is no new invention of the establishers of the Vikrama era. It is simply an adaptation of the old Såvana year with the three chaturmāsyas, and we are quite justified in assuming that this was the old national Indian arrangement.
A slightly different snbdivision of the year is found in a number of ancient Brahmi inscriptions, most of which hail from the Dekban and Southern India. In the first place wo have the inscriptions of the Andhrab (Lüders, Nos. 987, 1001, 1021 (?), 1024, 1100, 1105, 1106, 1107, 1120, 1122, 1123, 1124, 1125, 1126, 1146, 1147, 1186, 1195). It will be sufficient here to take one example, all the inscriptions being dated according to the same principle. The Karlo inscription of the 7th year of Paļumivi has : rand Vasithiputasa sami-siri-P[ulumāvisa) savachharē satamē 7 [9] imhapakha pachamē 5 divasē pathamē 1, " (during the reign) of the Rajan, the son of Vasisthi, Svämin fri-Paļumgvi, iu the seventh, 7., year, in the fifth, 5., fortnight of summer, on the first, I., day." It will be seen that we have here & slightly different method, the pakshus, fortnights, of the season and not the months being given. This same metbod is used by the Abhira Isvarasēna (Lüders, No. 1137); by the Svåmin Virasena (Lüders, No. 684a); by the Maharija Bhima sēna (Lüders, No. 906); by the Rajan Asvaghobba (Lüders, No. 922); by the Maharaja Jayavarman (Lüders, No. 1828); by the Iksbvákus (Lüders, Nos. 1202, 1203 and 1204), and by the Pallavas (Lüders, Nos. 1196, 1200, 1205). It was evidently the prevailing one in the south.
The dating in the ancient inscriptions of the Western Kabatrapas, who certainly used the Saks era, presents quite a different picture. To take an example, the Junagadh rock inscription of Kudradaman (Lüders, No. 965) is dated : rajio mahakshatrapasya gurubhir-abhyastanămno Rudradămnd varsha dvisaptitamē 70 2 Mārggafirsha-bahula-prat[ipadi], " (during the reign) of the Rājan Mahakshatrapa Rudradāman, whose name was repeated by the venerable, in the seventy-secord, 72., year, on the first day of the dark half of Märgadirsha." In this way all the
Dr. Fleet suggested a myösko-afita-, JRAS., 1913, PP. 996 and 998.
Gupta Inscr., p. 75. • Ind. Ant., 1913, p. 163.
Ep. Ind., Vol. XII, p. 319. Çf. Lüders, Do: Wir felspiel, Berlin, 1907, specially pp. 61 4.