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No: 7.]
THE ARA INSCRIPTION OF KANISHKA II: THE YEAR 41.
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20. Wardak vase inscription : Sah 20 20 10 1 masya Arthamesiya sasthehs 10 4 1, anno 51, after 15 days) of the month Arthames had passed,"
21. Ohind inscription : Sarh 20 20 20 1 Chetrasa mahasa divasa athami, "anno 61, on the eighth day of the month Chaitra."
29. Lahore Museum insoription of San 68: Sar 20 20 20 4 4. Prothavatasa masasa divass shodate 10 411,"anno 68, on the sixteenth, 16., dny of the month Proshthapada."
28. Jhaoli copper plate : savat sa ....me di 10, "in the ...th year, on the 10. day."
It will be seen that a common way of dating rang through all these inscriptions. First the year is given and afterwards usually the name and the day of the month. In four cases, Nos. 1. 13, 17 and 90, the month is not an Indian, but a Macedonian one. In the oldest dated inscription from India proper, the Bestagar epigraph, the month is not mentioned. We read only (Lüders, List, No. 669) raito Käsiputdra Bhagabhadrasa tratarasa vasena chatudasëna räjäna vadhamanasa," of the king Kåliputra Bhagabhadra, the Savioar, increasing with the fourteenth year in his reign," i.. only the regñal year of the king is mentioned. Similarly in the Pabhos inscription of Udaka (Lüders, No. 904) we read Udakasa) dasami savaohara," in the tenth year of Uakka." We shall have to reckon with the possibility that the use of oras and the mention of the name of the month was not an old Indian institution, but brought into the country by the Indo-Soythian invaders.
Let us now turn to such Kashana inscriptions as were intended not for the frontier districts, but for India proper. The materials are now conveniently put together in Professor Lüders' List. I disregard insoriptions where the name of the king is not mentioned, or where the date is too damaged to yield any certain result:
No. 025: Maharajasya Kanishkasya sam ne 3 di 20 2,"during the reign) of the Maharaja Kanishka, anno 3, the 8. (month of) winter, the 22. day."
No. 18: Dēva putrasya Ka[m]shkasya sa[m] 6 ha 1 di 1, " (during the reign of the Dēva putra Kapishka, anno 5, the 1. (month of) winter, the 1. day."
No. 81: Maharajasya rajaltra(jaJoya dåvaputrasya Shahi Kanishkasya saih 7 h1 di 105, " (during the reign) of the Mahārāja Rajatiraja Dāvaputra Shahi Kanishka, anno 7, the 1. (month of) winter, the 15. day."
No. 22 : Maharajasya Kanishkasya rajyasamvatsara navamd [9 vasa] masa pratha 1 divasi 0," in the ninth, 9., year of the reign of the Maharaja Kanishka, in the first, I., month of the Rains, on the B. day."
No. 28: Maharajasya diva (putrasya] Kanishkasya savatsará [10] gri 2 di 9, " (during the reign) of the Maharaja Dēvaputra Kanishka, in the 10. year, in the 2. (month of) summer, on the 9. day."
No. 1498 : Maharajasya [a]jat[t]irajāsya deva(pu] trasya Shahar-Vväsishkasya odjvasarhvatsara (cha) turundt 90 gr[Jahmåmdsa chaturttha 4 divaső trishsa 30, "in the twenty-fourth, 24., year of the reign of the Maharaja Rajatiraja Dēdaputra Shahi Vüsishka, in the fourth, 4., month of summer, on the thirtieth, 80., day."
No. 101: ... sya rajatirajasya [dåva] putrasya Shahi Vasashkasya sa 20 8 ho 1 di 3, " in the 28. year (during the reigo) of the Maharā]ja Rajātiraja Dēvaputra Shahi Vasashka, in the 1. (month of) winter, on the 5. day."
No. 83: ... [Va] [Johkasya rajyasamvatsarë 20 8 hemanta 3 di ...," in the 28. year of the reign of ... Väsishka, in the 3. (month of) winter, on the ... day."
Ct. my edition of this record Sitrungsberichte, 1916, PP. 807 1.
