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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VoL. XXVI.
37 -' पट्टिकानाम पञ्चविंशतिनिवर्तनं क्षेत्रं बत() [*] तागामिभिरस्मद्वेश्य [न्य च
रा[जभि] रायुरेश्व[D] 38 दीनां विलसितमधिरांशुचञ्चलमवगच्छद्धिराचन्द्राक्कंधरार्णव[स्थिति] समका[लं] यशश्चि39 चीमु(ष)भि[*] स्वदत्तिनिर्विशेषपरिपालनीयमुक्तञ्च ‘भगवता [व][व्या सेन व्यासेन [*] 4. 40 हुभिर्वसुधा भुक्ता राजभिस्सगरादिभि[]स्य (भिः । यस्य) यस्य यदा [भूमिस्तस्य तस्य 41 तदा फलं [*] स्वन्दातुं सुमहच्छक्यं दुःखमन्यस्य पाल[नं] [[*]वा[नं] वा पाल42 नं वेत्ति(ति) दानाच्छु योनुपालनं [॥*] स्ववत्ता परवत्तां वा यो हरे43 त वसुन्धरा [*] षष्ठि(ष्टि)वर्षसहस्राणि विष्टा(ष्ठा)यां जायते] कुमिः [*] म44 हा[सा]न्धिविग्रहिकश्रीनिरवधपुण्यवल्लभेन लिखितमिदं शासन] . . .
No. 48.-EPOCH OF THE GANGA ERA.
BY PROF. V. V. MIRASHI, M.A., NAGPUR,
The question of the epoch of the Gānga era has been discussed by several scholars during the last sixty years and various dates ranging from A. D. 349-50 to A. D. 877-78 have been proposed as marking the foundation of the era. The palaeography of early Gänga grants dated in that era shows that it must have been founded some time about the end of the fifth and the beginning of the sixth century A. D. Mr. R. Subba Rao, who for the first time worked on some positive data, fixed A. D. 494-95 as the initial year of the Ganga era. Subsequently, Mr. J. C. Ghosh, working on the dates of some Gänga and Kadamba grants came to the conclusion that the Ganga era started in A. D.496.. This conclusion was accepted by Mr. Subba Rao in the paper which he read before the Seventh Oriental Conference in 1933. But the epoch does not
1 These letters seem to mention the name of the field, ending in paffika. [Reading seems to be Ambra(Amra)paffika.-N. L. R.)
* For the commencement of the era Mr. G. Ramdas has proposed A. D. 349-50 (J. B. O. R. 8., Vol. XVIII. B.2911. Mr. Subba Rao, A. D.494 (J.A.H. R.S., Vol. V, pp. 287 fi.), Mr.J.C.Ghosh,A.D.498(Ind.anti. Vol. LXI, pp. 237ff.),Mr. B. V. Krishna Rao, A.D. 497-98(J.A.R.B.S., Vol. XL, pp. 101.), Dr. R.C.Majumdar some date between A. D. 550 and 567 (Ind. Cul., Vol. IV, p. 179 ff.), Mr. R. D. Banerji, A. D. 741 (History of Orissa. Vol. I, p. 239), Mr. Majumdar, A. D. 772 (J. B.O. R.S., Vol. II, pp. 361-62) and Mr. R.Sewell and D. B.B. K. Aiyangar, A. D. 877-78 (Historical Inscriptions of Southern India, p. 58.). [See also A. R. 8.1. E., 1931-32, p. 46.C.R. KI
.J.A. H. R. S., Vol. V, pp. 272 ff. • Ind. Ant., Vol. LXI, pp. 237 ff.
. Proceedings and Transactions of the Seventh AU-India Oriental Conference, p. 519. In his latest article on the subject (Proceedings and Transactions of the Tenth All-India Oriental Conference, PP. 472 ff.), Mr. Subba Rao shifta the initial your of the era toA.D.509.
