1835.] Copper-plate grants from Gujerat. 481 



The first inscription is dated 9th Valabhi Samvat, corresponding with 

 384 of Vicrama'ditya, and A. D. 328. 



Now allowing twenty years for the average reign of the six princes 

 of the first inscription, this will give 129 years for the interval be- 

 tween Sridhara Sena, in whose reign this sera may be supposed to 

 have commenced, and Bhatarca Sena'pati, the founder of the dynasty, 

 which will place him as having lived in A. D. 190. or within forty- 

 six years of the time specified by Tod, as that of Keneks v bn's estab- 

 lishment in Gujerat. That Bhatarca was a family title, and not the 

 real name of this chief, is shewn by its being alone used in the seals 

 affixed to both the inscriptions. 



From the second inscription, we have along line of princes, the last 

 of whom, Sila'ditya Musalli, would appear, from an allusion therein, 

 to have removed the capital to Sidhapura. 



Taking the number of kings, whose names are given subsequent to 

 Sridhara Sena, the founder of the Valabhi aera, at twelve, and the 

 length of their reigns at an average of twentv years each ; this calcu- 

 lation will shew a term of about 240, or more years, to have elapsed 

 from this time, to that of Siladitya Musalli of Sidhapura, or A. D. 

 559, about thirty-five years after the sack of Valabhipura by the 

 barbarians. 



On referring to the list of kings, another of the name of Siladitya, 

 it will be seen, just preceded the prince who made the grant con- 

 tained in the 2nd inscription, whose reign will thus approximate 

 to A. D. 524, stated in the Jaina legends to be the date when the 

 capital was surprised by a foreign army. From the same source also, 

 we find the name of the prince who then reigned, to have been 

 Sila'ditya, as above. 



These coincidences are curious, and tend to confirm the authen- 

 ticity of those fragments of early Hindu history, which Tod has so 

 carefully collected. 



The Jaina historical legends all mention the kings of this dynasty, 

 and their aera, the Valabhi Samvat ; the capital, from its geographi- 

 cal position, would appear to have been the Byzantium of Ptolemy ; 

 its kings were of the dynasty called by foreigners the Balhdra, which 

 may have been a corruption of the title Bhatarca*, or derived from 

 the adjoining district of Bhala, and Rai or prince ; the absurd man- 

 ner in which Hindu names were, and still are, corrupted by the Arabs, 

 and other foreigners, may easily account for the difficulty of recon- 

 ciling real names with their corruptions. 



* Bhatarca, literally means cherishing sun ; it is a royal title. 



