Vol. VII, No. 6.) The Evidence of the Faridpur Grants. 297 
[N.S.] 
the late Dr. Bhagwanlal Indraji.' The inscription is dated in 
the year 386 of a certain era, which has not been specified in it. 
Scholars differ very widely about the era in which this inscrip- 
ikrama era, which is manifestly impossible. Later on Dr. 
Fleet in his Classic Work on ‘Gupta Inscriptions’ * referred 
the date to the Gupta era. This also is hardly possible, as in 
that case the date of the inscription wou e equivalent to 
the subject in his admirable work on Nepal, has proved defi- 
nitely from accurate astronomical calculations that the year 
386 is equivalent to 496-97 A.D. M. Lévi’s calculation js 
amply supported by the paleography of the inscription. 
has not examined the characters at length, but he has 
referred the reader to his remarks on another epigraph 
inscribed with similar characters, viz. that on the Pillar 
throughout are of the form which is to be found in the Eastern 
variety of the early Gupta alphabet (i.e. the Northern alpha- 
bet of the 4th and 5th centuries A.D.). We find all other 
characteristics, which, according to Bihler, characterize this 
variety. Thus we have the looped form of the l lingual Sa and 
the medial [ which ‘‘ consists of two horns.’’ There is not a 
single instance in which the 6th century or the Western variety 
form of Ha, La and $a have been used in this inscription. 
peered pon already 1 noticed the presence of the acute angle in Pa, 
Sa a a.’ So the characters of the inscription belong to the 
4th ma 5 centuries A.D., and it can never be accurately re- 
ferred to the 8th century. This, I believe, is a strong support 
of M. Lévi’s astronomical calculation. The second inscription 
in early Gupta characters edited by M. Lévi is the Harigaon 
Pillar Inscription. Unfortunately this Se is not dated, 
but here also we find that in all cases Ha, La and Sa have 
characters of this inscription. The facsimile is so very 
indistinct that I must admit my examination is not definite. 
The original is very large in size, and its reproduction on an 
1 Ind nd. Ant., vol. ix, pp. 163-166. 
2 Fleet’s Gupta Inscriptions, Introduction, p. § 
8 Annales du Musée Guimet, tome xix ; “ay Nepal, par Sylvain 
— vol. iii, pp. 
4 Ibid., pp. 36- ai: Journal Asiatique Xe série, tome iv, pp. 207- 
" Bithler’s Indian Paleography (Eng. Edn.), p. 47. 
