Bay ai saan 
Se mE HONG 
Si 5 te 
dt ae ona = 

Vol. IV, No. 6.] The Age of Kalidasa. 331 
[N.S.] 
Ferousson’s THeory UNTENABLE. 
These considerations show the character of the corroborations 
of Fergus sson’s guess. On the theory itself, Prof. Macdonell 
remarks ; “* The epigraphical oe of Mr. Fleet have destroyed 
had already been in use for more than a century lar under 
the name of the Malava era. — Histor y of Sanskrit Literatur 
ictories are commemorated iy pillars with inintetisEhone. 
i were called sTqq@qy in Ka4lidasa’s time and are more than 
nee referred to in the Raghuvamsam. An era commemorates 
ra installation of a king. But be it the commemoration of a 
victory or of a coronation, the ante-dating affair is ridiculous. The 
additional years joined will mislead people and make them forget 
the very date intended to commemorate. Mr. Fergusson’s 
Vikramaditya could not have been in a very enviable state of 
mind when he instituted the era and threw back its commence- 
ment 600 years to 57 B.C. to se at the memory of his grea 
victory at Korur in 544 A.D 
’ardhamana, the author of the Ganaratnamahodadhi, closes 
his work with the sloka :— 
anAaafeaanede Wagatas | 
aufai fannat macqaetetutstes: | 
He does not refer to the Samvat. The #@ in famaa: is very 
significant. It means “ from the time of Vikrama,” whether from 
the time of his coronation or from that of his death is not cle 
dent means to calculate 1,197 years “ from Vikrama,” the value of 
the sloka cannot be over-rated. 
ere is an instance of its utility. Mallinatha is supposed to 
belong to the 14th century. He frequently quotes the Ganarat- 
namahodadhi in his commentaries. If A be taken as Malli- 
ratnamahoda- 
ge the book by 1,197 years. Hence Vikrama reigned before 
A.D. 
Tue Latest THEORY. 
rof. Macdonell says in his ——. of Sanskrit Literature 
that Ralidans flourished in the ps of King Chandragupta IT. at 
the beginning of the 5th century A There is no evidence to 
connect this prince with our Kali es exe ept that Chandragupta 
TI. was named Vikramaditya, and that the existence of an earlier 
