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342
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1885.
THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE EARLY RULERS OF NEPAL.
BY J. F. FLEET, Bo. C.S., M.R.A.S., C.I.E. The inscriptions which give the subject of A.-Mr. Bendall's inscription; ante, p. 97. - the present paper, consist of fifteen collected by The charter recorded is issued from the house Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji, as published by or palace called Månagriha. The inscrip. him and Dr. Bühler in this Journal, Vol. IX. tion is one of the Bhattáralia and Mahárdja, the p. 163ff, -and of one discovered by Mr. Bendall, illustrious Sivadê va I., the banner or glory and published by him in this volume, p. 97£. of the Lichchhavikula.' And it records a
The historical results of the former set, have grant made by him on the advice, or at the been discussed at length by Pandit Bhagwanlal request, of the Mahásámanta Amśn varman. Indraji in his paper entitled "Some Considera- The Dataka is the Svanin Bhögavarman.. The tions on the History of Nepal," edited by Dr. date, in numerical symbols here and throughBühler, and published in this Journal, Vol. out the series, is (Gupta)-Samvat 318, + A.D. XIII. p. 411ff. These results, however, are, 319-202,= A.D. 637-38. unfortunately, vitiated by a radical error; via. B.-Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji's inscription the reference of one series of the dates to the No. 5; ante, Vol. IX. p. 168f.-The charter is Vikrama era, instead of to the Gupta era issued from Managļiha. The inscription is nearly four hundred years later.1
one of the Bhatáraka and Maharaja, the illusThis was due, partly to the misinterpretation trious Sivadêva 1, the banner of the Lichchavi. of an important verse in the inscription of kula. It recorded some act, the details of which Jayadôva II. of (Harsha)-Samvat 153; and are broken away and lost, done by him, as in partly to the want of the key-note supplied by inscription A., on the advice, or at the request, Mr. Bendall's inscription. And it was, of of the Mahásdmanta, the illustrious Ausu var. course, the publication of this last inscription man. The date, and the name of the Dataka, that led me to look carefully into the whole are broken away and lost in line 111f. matter, and at length to hit upon the funda- C.-Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji's inscription mental mistake, without a recognition of which No. 6; ante, Vol. IX. p. 1699.-The charter is it might still be argued that Mr. Bendall's issued from the house or palace called Keila date of 318 for Sivadêva I. and Arśavarman sa k û ta bhavana. The inscription is one stands alone in belonging to the Gupta era,
of the Mahlisémanta, the illustrious Ansu varand that, in spite of it, Pandit Bhagwanlal man. The Dataka is the Mahásarva [dandand]Indraji was right in referring the other larger yaka Vikramasena (?) The date is (Harsha)dates to the Vikrama era.
Samrat' 31, + A.D. 606-7, = A.D. 640-41. The dates and other important points of the D.-Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji's inscription sixteen inscriptions in question, arranged in No. 7; ante, Vol. IX. p. 170.-The charter is proper chronological order, are, in brief, these :- issued from Kailasak ûţa bhavana. The
1 I do not think it necessary on this occasion to enter into a full discussion of the era used by the Guptas. It is sufficient to say that, in my visits to Malwa in the early part of the present and the preceding years, I succeeded in obtaining some now inscriptions which satisfactorily determine the epoch of the era, and shew that that part of Albiruni's statement is correct which tells us that it is posterior to the Saka era by two hun. dred and forty-one years. Whether in convertinga Gupta into a Christian date, we have to add 241 or 243 of the Saka years, will depend upon accurata calculations which have not yet been made. But Albiruni's apparent moaning is that we have to add 241 of the Saka years. This gives as the equation Saka-Samvat 241 + A.D. 78. 79 A.D. 319-20 as the epoch of the Gupta era; and this is the equation that I shall uso in this paper.-Thero is one other point which should be mentioned here. It is that none of the Early Gupta and connected inscriptions give this era the name of tho Gupta era (or any other spocial name), or show specifically that it was founded by the Guptas. But it is convenient to call it, for the prosent at all evente, na heretofore, the Gupta era.
Lichchhavikulak tu, 1. 2.
Mahasimant-Axisluvurmmand vijfilipite na may ; l. 6-7.
This person would seem to be Arhuvarman's sister's Bon, who is mentioned in inscription D. below.-Ho must not be confused with Sivadeva II.'s father-in-law, the Maukhari Bhiga varman, who is mentioned in infeription 0. below, and was at least a full generation later. See note 10 below p. 343, on another point.
As in note 3 above. • This is the name as completed by Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji. But, if we accept it as correct, we must be careful not to confuso this person with the Rijaputra Vikramasena who was the Datuk of inscription P. be. low, more than two hundred years later. I have not seen the original rubbing of this inscription.
For the opoch of this era used by mo, neo Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji's remarks on Albiruni's statement (ante, Vol. XIII. p. 420, note 87.) Whether we have to nae A.D. 606 or A.D. 607, will depend upon calculations which have still to be made.
