History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c15.6

v1.c15.6

"From the accompanying photo-lithographic-plate it will be clear that the date here is very badly damaged. What is seen is a circle which may denote 28. It is just possible that the regnal year of the King is simply repeated in numerical symbols preceded probably by the word *Samvatsare.*"¹ It was not possible for this deceased scholar to understand that in North Indian Epigraphy at least, a circle *can not* denote 20 and that the regnal year having been expressed in words as being 26 it can not be repeated in another part of the same inscription as being 28, or two years later unless something special happened at that time. What is more probable is that the regnal year having been expressed in one place in words, the date is given in numerals at the end of the inscription in some recognised era. At this period only two eras may possibly have been used in Orissa. These are the Gupta-Valabhi era of 319-20 A. D., and the Harsha era of 605-6 A. D. Most probably the year 88 of the Parikud plates is expressed in the latter era and is equivalent to 693-4 A. D. If expressed in the Gupta-Valabhi era it must be taken to be in the fourth century of that era, *i. e.*, 388-707-8 A. D.