________________
THE SOLANKI PERIOD
169 date is by means of gata or expired years, that of vartamāna or current years being exceptional." This observation well applies to the dates under review. Out of 118 definite dates as many as 106 dates apply to the expired years, only twelve12 exceptionally applying to current years. The mode of expired years is found to have been in vogue, throughout the Solanki period which covered about 3 centuries and a half while the exceptional case fall only during the last century and a half13 therein. However, the concurrent prevalence of the mode of current years is difficult to be accounted for. For the current years are met with in all sorts of records-stone inscriptions, copper-plate inscriptions and praśastis, similarly the records containing these dates are related to almost all the different parts of the Sārasvata Mandala, such as those including Patan, Palanpur, Vijapur, Mehsana, Viramgam, Kalol etc. But the concurrent occurrence of this mode is not rare in ancient Indian chronology.14
As for the system of years it may be noted that out of 118 definite dates, 39 dates 15 do not throw any light on it. Out of the remaining 79 dates, 53 apply to
11. Pillai, IC., p. 41 12. Nos. 1, 22, 51-53, 60–62, 86, 89, 90 and 132 13. These dates range from V. S. 1217 to V. S. 1354 14. Vide, for instance, Kielhorn 'Examination of Questions conne
cted with the Vikrama Era', IA., Vol. XIX, pp. 20 ff., Mirashi,
'Introduction', CII, Vol. IV, pp. Xii ff., XX ff. 15. Nos. 1-21, 51-59, 82, 88, 111, 129, 132, 133, 134, 136
and 137
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