[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Archaeology, epigraphy and coins](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy) › [Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.cunningham-1883) › c2.41 # Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c2.41 Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c2.41 - **Language:** English ### [c2.41](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.cunningham-1883.c2.41) I am perfectly aware that the date of the Gupta era is still unsettled; but there is one fact that is strongly in favour of the early period that I have arrived at,—namely, the date of A.D. 319, which is assigned by Abu Rihân for the extinction of the Gupta dominion. Now the last of the great Gupta kings was almost certainly Skanda Gupta, and as we have a copperplate inscription dated in the year 146, during his reign, the initial point of the era cannot well be placed later than 319—146=173 A.D., that is within seven years of my proposed date. I, therefore, adhere for the present to the year 166 A.D. as a convenient date, which cannot be far from the truth. In fact the two inscriptions of King Jaika, if they belong to the same person, are very strongly in favour of my date. One of these is dated in the year 794 of the Vikramâditya Samvat, or A.D. 737-38, and the other, from Morbi, is dated in 595 of the Gupta era. Deducting 595 from 738, we get the year 143 A.D., which is 23 years earlier than my date. But if we accept my date as a near approximation to the truth, we obtain 166 + 595 = 761 A.D., as the date of the Morbi inscription, which would give King Jaika a reign of 23 years from 738 to 761 A.D.\* - [Previous: c2.40](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.cunningham-1883.c2.40) - [Next: c2.42](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.cunningham-1883.c2.42) - [Up: c2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.cunningham-1883.c2) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.cunningham-1883.c2.41](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.epigraphy.cunningham-1883.c2.41) · Pramāṇa