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406
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1891.
invented in memory of a king Vikramaditya, we should have expected to find in the very earliest dates, we actually meet with only in some of the latest dates.
In addition to the dates enumerated we have, down to V. 1400, altogether seventeen dates which are expressly referred to the Vikrama era; and these seventeen dates again have this in common, that (exactly like the dates which are referred to the Mâlava era), all occur in inscrip. tions or literary works which are in verse. And in fourteen out of these seventeen dates the date itself is in verse and forms part of the poem, while in three instances it is in prose and has been added at the end of a poem. The exact terms in which the poets refer to the era in these dates, are as follows:
No. 10 (V. 898), from a Châhumâna inscription at Dhôlpar: gatasya kálasya vikramákhyasya, 898 years of the time called vikrama, gone by ';
No. 40 (V. 1050), from Amitagati's Subhashita-ratna-samdôha: samárúḍhé púta-tridaśavasatim Vikrama-nṛipé, after king Vikrama had ascended to the pure dwelling of the immortals;'
No. 54 (V. 1139), from a prasasti by Guruchandragani: Vikkamáu kalammi 'in the time from Vikrama';
No. 58 (V. 1149), from an inscription at Gwalior: gateshv-abdéshu Vikramát, 'years gone by from Vikrama';
No. 114 (V. 1226), from a Châhumâna inscription at Bijhôli: kálé Vikramabhásvataḥ, in the time of Vikramaditya';
No. 121 (V. 1232), from the Narapati-jayacharya: Vikramárka-gaté kálé, 'in the time gone by from Vikramarka';
No. 130 (V. 1240), from an inscription at Mahoba: Sáhasáňkasya vatsaré, 'in the year of Sahasanka (i. e. Vikramaditya)';
Nos. 137 (V. 1252) and 180 (V. 1317), from Chandella inscriptions at Batêévar and Ajaygadh: Vikrama-vatsaré, 'in the Vikrama year ';
No. 143 (V. 1260), from a prasasti by Malayaprabhasûri: ári. Vikramatô gateshu, years 'gone by since the illustrious Vikrama ';
Nos. 201 and 202 (V. 1365), from Jinaprabha's Bhayaharastava-vritti and Ajitasantistavavritti: samvad-Vikrama-bhupatéḥ, 'in the year of the king Vikrama ';
Nos. 206 and 207 (V. 1384), from Delhi Museum inscriptions: abdé Vikramárkataḥ and Vikram-ábdé, 'in the year from Vikramârka,' or ' of Vikrama.'
The above are all from verses; the following are from dates in prose, added at the end of poems:
No. 63 (V. 1161), from an inscription at Gwalior éri-Vikramárka-nṛipa-kál-útítasamvatsara-;
No. 105 (V. 1220), from the Delhi Siwâlik pillar inscription: samvat éri-Vikramúdityé; and No. 192 (V. 1337), from the 'Pilam Bâoli' inscription: samvatsaré-smin=Vaikramadity-. Now, considering that eleven of these seventeen dates are from inscriptions in Rajputânà and districts north of Rajputânâ, and in Gwalior and Bundelkhand, the result of our examination may be stated thus:
The earliest known instance of the word vikrama occurring in a date we find in au inscription in verse, by which the year 898 is referred to the time called vikrama;' a prince or a king Vikrama is for the first time spoken of in connection with the era in a poer. composed in V. 1050; and over the largest part of the territories in which the era was used
• In verse 276 of Dhanapala's Paiyalachchht the year 1029 also is referred to the vikrama-kála. This date I had overlooked when compiling my chronological list.
