1870.] She Vihdr Inscription from near Bhdwalpur. 67 



space of 1 foot between them. These were built of burnt bricks 

 of the same size as the others, but not cemented with mortar. 

 Excavation at this place was very difficult, owing to the quantity of 

 loose and broken bricks which overlaid the foundation. Three 

 fragments of curved bricks were found among these.' 



' I hear that there is another tower similar to this in another part 

 of this state about 100 miles still S. W. of this, at a place called 

 Noshera.' 



I read the first nine words as follows (vide Plate II) — 



Maharajasa rajatirajasa devaputrasa Kanishkasa samvatsare 

 ekadase (here follows the cipher for eleven, as to which more here- 

 after) Daisikasa Masasa. That is "In the eleventh sambat of the 

 great king, the king of kings, the god-born Kanishka, — of the 

 month Daisik." 



Then follows the number of the day of the month, written 

 in cipher. The tracing here is not clear, and I have failed to read it. 



So much for the first line. The important points are, first, the use 

 of the samvat of Kanishka. I have long thought that the frequent 

 occurrence of this king's name evidently in connection with a date, 

 betokened the existence of a Kanishka sera. It seems clear now 

 that it does. The question is, what was it ? Was it the year of his 

 reign only, or was it a new sera ? "Was it the Saka sera which dated 

 from the death of a Saka king ? Perhaps the coins found with the 

 plate, might help ; they show at least what coins were current in 

 the eleventh year of the sera. 



Next comes the symbol, evidently standing for ten. This is 

 the symbol which has been hitherto conjectured to stand for a con- 

 traction of " Samvatsure." This discovery will render needful cor- 

 rection of some dates as hitherto read, in this class of inscriptions. 



Lastly, the name of the month, evidently the Macedonian 

 " Dsesius," or an attempt at it, confirms Cunningham's conjectural 

 reading of the month on the Taxila plate, and shows that in some 

 parts of India, the Macedonian months were in use. I now read 

 the name of the month in the Wardak inscription as " Athwami- 

 siyasa for " of Artemisius." 



This is one argument, I think, fairly deducible from the first line. 



The second line I attempt to read as — Atreswarasa Bhichusa 



