142 ESSAY OX 



Berxouttlt, from the Tadkcrat assalatin ; but the 

 copy in Mii. Hakington's possession is the most ex- 

 phcit on this subject, and I find that it is by no 

 means a new idea. According to some, these fourteen 

 years are the difference between the era of Vicra- 

 ma'ditya in its corrected, and the same in its original 

 state. This Slca'ditya is called also Vicrama'dit- 

 ta in the Dekhin, and is said to have begun his 

 reign in the year of the Cali-yuga 5020, and to have 

 died in the year 3034, from which they reckon the 

 era of Vicrama : but in the northern parts o? India, 

 they say that he began his reign in the year 3030, 

 and died in the year 3044. Yet this Bhartrimari, 

 in the collection of tales attributed to him, alludes 

 to another Vicramxv'ditya, who, from the context, 

 certainlv lived long- before him. Such is the uncer- 

 tainty about this famous emperor, that we are obliged 

 to cHstinguish between the years since the time of 

 Vicrama'ditya and those of his era. Thus, in the 

 "^Satrujaya-mahatmya, we read, that after 466 years 

 of the era are elapsed, then would appear tlve great 

 and famous Vicrama'ditya ; and then, 477 after 

 him, Saila'ditya, or Bhoja, would reign. In the 

 Ayin-Acberi, the various dates, from the era of Vi- 

 crama'ditya, are to be reckoned from his acces- 

 sion to the throne, in the middle ages of the Chris- 

 tian era. 



The third epoch in my list, and in most of the 

 lists in the eastern parts of India, is that of 'Suraca, 

 who was succeeded by his brother Crishna, accord- 

 ing to the Piiranas. He began his reign in the year 

 191, and was also considered as a Vicrama'ditya, 

 or rather a Samvatica, or author of a civil period ; 

 and of him also I took particular notice in my essay 

 on the Gangetic provinces. 



The next period is that of Vicrama'ditya, the 



