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THE CHRONOLOGICAL SYSTEMS OF GUJARAT
As noted above, this era is probably the same as the era hinted in the concluding verse of Sanskrit Dvyāśraya. The last five cantos of this work pertaining to the life of Kumārapāla are found to have been composed after V.S. 121652.
On assuming that Hemacandra refers to the outstanding events of the king's career in chronological sequence, it seems that the era was started by Kumāra. pāla not from the year of his accession to the throne (V.S. 1199), but at some later stage of his career, The next outstanding event of his reign appears to that of the king's adopting Jainism which is dated V-S. 121653. The specific reference to the Siddha-Hema-Kumāra Saṁvat in Hemacandra's commentary on AbhidhānaCintāmaņi, too, does not go against this probability, as the commentary is found to have been composed dur. ing the last years of the author's life. The occurrence of the specific mention of this era in a work of Ācārya Hemacandra as well as that in an inscription on a Jain image obviously favours the probability of its association with Jainism. The insertion of the names ‘Siddha
52. R.C. Parikh, Kāvyānuśāsana, Intro., p. cccxxix 53. Jinamaņdana, Kumārapālaprabandha, p. 67,
Shri RC. Modi proposed that this event must be dated V.S 1226 rather than V.S. 1216. Sanskrit Dvyasraya Kävyamāu Madhyakālin Gujarātant Sāmājik Sthiti, Appendix cha., p. 83. Curiously Kumărapāla is represented as 'Paramaśrāvaka’ in a MS dated V.S. 1221, but as 'Umāpativaralabdhaprasāda' in MSS. Jated upto V.S 1225. but the verification of the date in 'Siddha-Hema-Kumāra Samvat 4' indicates the probability of V.S. 1216 rather than V.S. 1226, as the epoch of the era.
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