Chronological Systems of Gujarat

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

Page 95

THE CHRONOLOGICAL SYSTEMS OF GUJARAT
Capa king acknowledged the supremacy of the Pratihāra king Mahipaladeva. For the era used in the Pratihāra empire is found to be the Vikrama era. The use of the Saka era in this kingdom perhaps implies the cultural bearing of the adjoining region of Mainland Gujarat where the Saka era was current under the regime of the Rāṣṭrakūtas.
78
The Saka dates in literary records are found in a few Jain works of this period. These dates range from the Saka year 77225 (850 A.C.) to the Saka year 853 (931 A.C.). They are given in words. They generally consist of the year, the month, the fortnight and the lunar day. The era is generally introduced as Śakanṛpakāla and sometimes as Saka Kāla. Sometimes the name of the Samvatsara is also mentioned.
25. This date occurs in Silanka's țikā on Acārāngasūtra (Muni Jinavijaya, Introduction to Jitakalpasūtra, p. 12). Some other Mss date the commentary Saka year 784 (Ibid., p. 11) or S.E. 798 (IA, Vol. XV, p. 188).
Another Ms, however, gives the date as year 772 of the Gupta era. (Ibid, p. 188, Acārāngasūtra tīkā published by Agamodaya Samiti, p. 317). But here the word 'Gupta' obviously seems to be a misnomer for 'Saka'. For it is not possible to date Śiļāñka as late as in the 11th Cent. A.C. According to the Saka dates given above the commentetor seems to have flourished in 9th Cent. A.C. Muni Jinavijayaji proposes to date him about one century prior to it.
The Gupta era seems to have already been extinct by this time. The error of misrepresenting a current era as some exinct era also occurs in a few cases in the case of the Vikrama era. (For instance vide, H. G. Shastri. "The Date of the Fall of Valabh' IHQ, Vol. XXIII, pp. 248 f., also vide section iv, of this chapter and chapter VII below).