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be objected that this goes against the evidence of the Nadagām and other plates of Vajrahasta III : for according to them, Madhukamārnava III ascended the throne 19 years before his nephew Vajrahasta III. The latter's accession is known to have taken place in $. 960. Deducting 19 years from this, we get S. 941 as the date of the accession of Madhukämārnava III. This conflicts with the statement in the Simhipura plates that Dēvēndravarman (with whom we have identified Madhukämārnava III) was ruling in Gn. 520, i.e., S. 940.
In connection with this I have to point out that the reign-periods of the several Gănga kings mentioned in the Nadagam and other plates are not exact, but only approximate ; for they do not mention any months and days in addition to the years of their reigns. If Madhukāmārņava III reigned for 19 years and a few months, he might have been on the throne in $. 940 (perhaps towards the close of it), when the Simhipura grant was made. I may add that the epoch of the Gänga era fixed Above will not be affected in the least even if we identify Dēvēndravarman of the Simhipura plates with one of Madhukāmārņava's elder brothers, Kämārņava II and Gundams II who preceded him on the throne and ruled for six months and three years respectively.!
We have thus seen that the view that the Gänga era was started on Chaitra su. di. 1 in the expired Saka year 420 presents no difficulties and squares with all the known data. Before concluding this article it would not be out of place to discuss what political event it commemorates.
From a Vākāțaka inscription in cave No. XVI at Ajanţă,' we learn that Harishēņa, the last known Vakataka king, had something to do with Andhra and Kalinga. Unfortunately the inscription is very badly damaged in the portion where the names of these countries are mentioned together with a number of others such as Kuntala, Avanti, Kösala and Läta. Perhaps Harishēņa raided these countries and made their kings acknowledge his suzerainty. That he did Bo in Andhra appears quite probable from the marriage of the Vishnukuņdin prince Mädhavavarman I with a Vākāțaka princesse who was perhaps a daughter or some near relative of Harishēna. From several grants found in the Ganjām District, we know that in the fourth and fifth centuries A. D., Kalinga was held by some princes whose names ended in varman, such as Saktivarman, Umavarman, Chandavarman, Anantavarman, etc. They must have been obliged to submit to the mighty Vakataka king Harishēņa. From recent researches in Väkätaka history it seems probable that Harishëna closed his reign about A. D. 500, and this, we find, is also approximately the time when the Gänga era was started. The conjecture may therefore be hazarded that it marks the establishment of a new kingdom in Kalinga when the power of the Vakatakas declined towards the close of the fifth century A. D.
1 The exact date of the coronation of Vajrahasta III mentioned in the Nadagam and other plates corresponds, according to Kielhorn, to Sunday, the 9th April, A. D. 1038.
Messrs. J. C. Ghosh and Subba Rao identify him with Kämärņava II who ruled only for half a year (Ind.) Ant. Vol. LXI, p. 237 and Proceedings and Transactions of the Seventh Au-India Oriental Conference, p. 519), while Mr. B. V. Krishna Rao takes him to be Gundama II, who ruled for 3 years (J. A. H. R. 8., Vol. XI, p. 21).
* A. 8. W. I., Vol. IV, p 125. . Above, Vol. IV, p. 196 . Above, Vol. XII, pp. 1 ff., Vol. IV, pp. 142 ff., Vol. XXIV, pp. 47 ff., oto.
• Ahove, Vol. XXVI, pp. 148-9. MGIPC_S1-60 DGA-18-5-51---265.
