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OCTOMBER, 1915)
THE INSCRIPTIONS OF ASOKACHALLA
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sena began with his fall in 1200 A. D. is rather untenable. In April, 1911, an inscription was discovered on the base of an image of the goddess Changi at Dâlbâzâr in the town of Dacoa3. The inscription is dated year 3 in the Lakshma yasena era. In it, the absence of such expressions as gata or atita definitely proves that the inscription was incised during the regnal period of Lakshmanasena, so that the era on which so much has been discussed and so many wise and ingenious theories have been propounded was certainly initiated on the installation of Lakshmaṇasena. That Lakahmaṇasena came to the throne in 11191120 A. D. has been definitely proved by the corroboration of 'Abu'l-Fadl. The use of the Lakahmana-sa mvat 74 in the inscription of Asokavalla (sic), also definitely shows that in the 74th year of the era, Gayâ and the surrounding country were in possession of the Senas of Bengal. If the conclusion that Lakshmaṇasena came to the throne in 1119-1120 A. D. be correct, then he could not have lived till 1200 A. D., which is regarded by Mr. Chanda as the approximate date of his fall. In the Madhainagar copper plate grant (J. A. S. B. 1909) it has been hinted that Lakshmanasena, when still a humára, led an expedition against the Kaliigas. This must have been when he had already attained his youth and was capable of leading an expeditionary force into a foreign land. So ihat, this was when he might be assumed to be at least 20 years of age. Now, as he was called to the throne afterwards, it would not be altogether absurd to assume that he must have been at least 22 years of age when he was invested with the regnal authority. Then in 1200 A. D. Lakshmanagena should have attained 22 +81 - 103 years, which is almost a physical impossibility and even against all supposition.
Neither do we know of a second era instituted in 1200 A. D. in commemoration of the Turkish raid; and if any were instituted, the death of Lakshmanasena taking place earlier, it would not be styled Lakshmanasenasyatilardjya era. So the argument in favour of the inauguration of a new era in commemoration of the fall of Lakshmanasena in 1200 A. D. does not seem to be valid. Facts and reason equally point to the possibility of promulgating an era on the occasion of his accession, which took place when he has already attained his manhood in 1119-1120 A. D., and in absence of a second era we may safely believe, at least in the present state of our knowledge of the materials for the history of
Bengal, that the atitar djyasamvat of Lakshma qasena is the same as the Lak_hmana-sarivat. • Next comes the Nirvâņa year of 1813. This is a bit more complicated. There is a good deal of differenoe in the opinions hitherto held with regard to the initial year of this era. According to the chronicles of Ceylon and Burma, the Nirvana took place in 544 B. C. But referring to the accession of Asoka, which took place 218 years after the Nirvara, an error of 66 years would be apparent. In fact, in Northern India the true date of the Nirvana was lost sight of at a very early period. Hieun-Thsang gives an account of wide divergence in the opinions held with regard to the initial year of this era, which ranged from 250 to 850 B. C. According to Fa-Hian it was in B. C. 770, or thereabout. Again, from the data of the Puranas, we see that Asoka came to the throne between 311-312 years after the Nirvâộa. With such wide disagreement in premises, there cannot be any definiteness in conclusion. Mr. Chanda, following Dr. Fleet (J. R. A. 8., 1909, 1911 and 1912), concludes that an era starting from B. C. 544, an innovation of the Ceylon Buddhists of the 11th century, was adopted by the Burmese and imported in the inscription of Asokavalla (sic). Well, the chance of such borrowing in the case of the inscription of Purushottama, a chief of Northern India (Kamâ country) is far too rare; and the more so, in the case of an innovated era of the 11th oentury which, perhaps, did not attain, so soon, such a wide popularity as would impart
3 J. A. S. B. 1913, 290.
