320 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [Aug.-Sept., 1913. 
as a period of interregnum from the point of view of the sacred 
Hindu Law. In any case there is no reason why we oe dis- 
believe the datum of the Pali chronicles on the point 
Taking our highest limit, 275 B.c., we obtain the highest 
possible date of ASoka’s accession as (275 + 4)279B.c. Ifwea add 
to this (24 + 25)! forty-nine years, the period covered by the two 
preceding reigns, we get 328 B.c. according to the calculation as 
a possible date for Chandra-Gupta’s accession. But this as we 
have seen above could not have occurred before 325 B.c. ; thatis, 
at least three years must be deducted from the possible highest 
limit. Hence the accession of Aéoka could not have taken place 
earlier than 276 B.c. (279—3=276), and his Abhisheka earlier 
than (276 —4) 272 8.c. The higher limit, thus, narrowed down, 
near setae with the lowest as obtained above. 
w of this result the tentative dates 264 and 269 B.c., 
it seems, mould now be abandoned. The improbability of the 
264 B.c. date is apparent. According to this Magas would be 
named amongst living kings eight years (264—14= 250 B.C.) 
ht T ; : 
250 B.c., the absence of the name of Diodotus of Bactria, 
who had been Agoka’s next-door neighbour for about five 
years” by that date, would be surprising. The proposed calcula- 
tion giving 264 B.o. would not be gs oe even if we corrected 
the reign of Bindusara from 28 to 25 years, as even then the 
difference between the death of Magas and the edict would be 
too long, viz. of five years.? As to the figure 269 B.c., a similar 
objection suggests itself. Taking this as the abhisheka year, 
we get the result that (269-14) three years after his death 
Magas was described in the edict as a living sovereign. which is 
Bak ee 
corollary to our above calculation we have also to 
revise ths accepted date of Chandra-Gupta’s accession to the 
throne of Magadha. 
and there is no reason to reject, the datum 
of the Pali siehdntaheis. that Asoka reigned for four years before 
he was legally crowned, the date of his _tontgeot ed Ss accession 
to the throne would be dated in the year (272 or 271+4+ 
we 325 or 324 B.c. Thus the date divetally accepted up to 
s fe When the Pali chronicle assigns twenty-sight aie to Bindusara, it 
f ASoka’'s rei Taran atha’s 
Sonia 38 | (Schiefner p. 88) thou h gn 
the Puranas w 2 regard Warsi 8 incorrect in its seinbh digit confirms 
win, ves the d 
Bi ae Per epg sae Pa ate or the a ape of the kingdom of 
> Thi 
ay, aly the ees of the proposed date 
ath and the Pali figure 218 for the years 
aaied ts in my paper on the § igunaga 
et 
reign and the accession of Chaniex: Girt: ee ee Bourse 
