History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c23.3.1

v1.c23.3.1

The earliest Gaṅga inscription was dealt with by the late Dr. J. F. Fleet in 1874-75 and the last word on the subject was uttered by the late Dr. E. Hultzsch in July 1926. According to this method, the earliest date is no doubt the regnal year six on the Komarti plates of the Mahārāja Chandavarman,¹ but, as the late Dr. Kielhorn has already pointed out, Chandavarman may not be a Gaṅga king at all.¹ Similarly, the regnal year 30 on the Bṛihatproshṭha grant of Umāvarman may or may not be a date in the Gaṅga era, though it is yet doubtful whether this king really belonged to the Gaṅga family or not.² Gaṅga history, therefore, really begins with the Chikakol plates of Devendravarman, son of Anantavarman. This inscription is dated in words, *Gāṅgeya-vaṁśa-pravardhamāna-vijaya-samvatsaram-eka-pañchāśat*, leaving no doubt about the fact that it was the intention of the engraver to put down "51" only without any figure for hundreds. The characters of this grant are certainly much later than many of the other Gaṅga plates, which are later than this plate according to the arrangement we follow in this chapter. The order was issued from the city of Kaliṅga and mentions the hereditary deity of the Gaṅga kings, Śiva-Gokarṇeśvara, on the top of Mahendra hill. The only genealogy given is that the donor, king Devendravarman, was the son of Anantavarman.