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378
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1891.
began on the 5th April A. D. 481, and ended on the 11th May, A. D. 482. These days correspond to the purnimánta Vaisakha kļishịa 6 of Saka-Samvat 404 current, and Jyêshtha sukla 8 of S.-S. 465 current. The intermediate Chaitra sukla 2 (ending on the 7th March, A. D. 482) was the Chaitra sukla 2 of Saka-Samvat 405 current. Accordingly, Chaitra sukla 2, Gapta-Samvat 163, is Chaitra sukla 2 of 'Saka-Samvat 405 current; and Gupta-Samvat 163 may have commenced on any day from Chaitra sukla 3 of Saka-Samvat 404 current, up to Chaitra sukla 2 of S.-S. 405 current,
C. Here the details (loc. cit. p. 114) are:- The year 191 in the enjoyment of sovereignty by the Gupta kings; the Maha-Chaitra samvatsara ; Magha krishna 3. Determined in the same way as in the preceding instance, the Maha-Chaitra saivatsara began on the 29th September, A. D. 510, and ended on the 28th October, A. D. 511. These days correspond to Åśvina śukla 11 of Saka-Samrat 433 current, and the púrnimánta Mârgasîrsha krishna 7 of S.-S. 434 current. The intermediate půrnimánta Magha kļishņa 3 (ending on the 3rd Jangary, A. D. 511) was the purnimánta Miigha krishna 3 of Saka-Saivat 433 current. Accordingly, the purnimúnta Magha krishna 3, Gupta-Saivat 191, is the piirnimanta Magha krishna 3 of Saka Samvat 433 current; Gupta-Samvat 191 may have commenced on any day from the púrnimánta Magha kļishna 4 of Saka-Sarvat 432 current, up to the pirnimanta Magha krishna 3 of S.-S. 433 corrent; and, for direct comparison with the result deduced under B., Gupta-Samvat 163 may have commenced on any day from the pirnimánta Mágba krishna 4 of Saka-Samvat 404 current, up to the purnimanta Magha krishņa 3 of 'S.-S. 405 current.
Now, the period from Chaitra sukla 3 to the párnimánta Mâgha krishņa 3 of Saka-Samvat 404 current, which is adın issible by the result under B., is excluded by the result under C., which fixes the purnimanta Magha krishna 4 of that year as the earliest possible initial day.
And, on the other hand, tho period from Chaitra sukla 3 up to the pirnimánta Magha krishna 3 of Saka-Samvat 405 carrent, which is admissible by the result under C., is excluded by the result under B., which fixes Chaitra sukla 2 of that year as the latest possible initial day.
Accordingly, it follows that, by the practice of the time when these two records were drawn up, Gupta-Samvat 163 began with some day from the parņimanta Magha krishna 4 of Saka-Samvat 404 current, up to Chaitra sukla 2 of S.-S. 405 current; the possible range. boing soventy-three tithis, or roughly seventy-two days.
A reference back will shew that these limits suit the result under A., just as well as the results for the two dates from which they are deduced. For, Gupta-Samvat 165 would commence on some day from the purnimánta Magba krishọa 4 of 'Saka-Samvat 406 current, ap to Chaitra sukla 2 of S.-S. 407 current; which period is well within the wider limits which are admissible by A., if taken alone.
And it may be noted here, that the limited range for the initial day which has been thus established, excludes, for this period and locality, the possibility of a year commencing either with the month Karttika or with the month Margabirsha.
Now, with the exception of Chaitra sukla 1 for the luni-solar year, or the MêshaSamkranti for the solar year, in the interval established above there is no particular day which naturally suggests itself for the initial day of the year; unless the era originated in a coronation.day, the date of which, falling in that interval, had been preserved, and was still used as the initial day of each year. Of course, such a date may have been preserved ; and such an initial day may have been used. But we have no evidence at present in support of such an assumption. And, the luni-solar year being probably more used than the solar year for the practical and popular purposes of everyday life, I think that we may accept it as almost certain that, whatever may have been the real historical initial point of the era, by the time when these records were written, the scheme of the Gupta year had become in all respects identical with the scheme of the luni-solar Saka year, with Chaitra sukla 1 as
