Chronological Systems of Gujarat

Author(s): Bharati K Shelat
Publisher: Pranav Shelat

Page 89

72 THE CHRONOLOGICAL SYSTEMS OF GUJARAT give the months, the fortnights and the lunar days'. The Hilol plates mention even the weekday. It well tallies with the lunar day on ascribing the year to the Valabhī era and calculating according to the epoch of 317-18 A.C. But as the month falls between Kārttika and Phālguna and as the lunar day belongs to the bright fortnight, the date does not admit of verification about the commencement of the year and the completion of the month. Presumably the year continued to be Kārttikādi and the month to be Pūrņimānta as in the Maitraka period.
(ii) The Gupta Era The discovery of Saindhava Copper-plate grants from Saurashtra enables us to state definitely that the Gupta era also was in vogue in the western parts of Saurashtra during this period. The occurrence of the Gupta era in Western Saurashtra is ascribed to the Saindhavas who hailed from Sindh. Among the known epigraphic records of the Saindhava kings, the Gupta era appears in four of the six copper-plate grants from Ghumli and the Morbi copper plates of King Jajkalo. Out of the six Ghumli plates, the grant of
9. The date of the Hilol plates, Year 470 Mārgasira su. di. 7 Bhauma, corresponds to Tuesday, 11th Nov. 788 A.C.
The date of Unā plates, Valabhi year 574, Māgha su. di. 6 roughly corresponds to 28th Dec. 892 A.C. 10. 1A, Vol. II, pp. 257 ff.
The Dhinki plates issued by King Jāikadeva from Bhūmilikā (Ghumli) belong to the Saindhava dynasty but the record is dated in the Vikrama era and has proved to be a forged one (EI, Vol. XXVI, p. 189).