Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c20.s1.17

c20.s1.17

According to the contemporary list then there reigned between those initial and final points, 24 Aikṣvākus, 27 Pañcālas, 24 Kāśis, 28 Haihayas, 32 Kaliṅgas, 25 Aśmakas, 26 Kurus (Pauravas), 28 Maithilas, 23 Śūrasenas and 20 Vītihotras,³ that is 257 kings in ten kingdoms, or a mean of 26 kings. For these 26 then we must allow reigns of medium length, and the question is, at how many years should a medium length be reckoned? The longest average of reigns occurred among the 20 Vītihotras, the shortest among the 32 Kaliṅgas. Thus 20 long reigns = 32 short reigns = 26 medium reigns, whence we obtain the proportion—longest average : shortest average : medium average :: 26 : 16¼ : 20. I have examined 14 series of from 20 to 30 kings in various eastern and western countries; the longest average just exceeded 24 years in one case, the shortest was about 12, and the average of all was 19; but the average was higher in western countries and lower in eastern countries. Hence as a medium average for these contemporary eastern dynasties we must take something less than 19, and 18 years will be a fair and even liberal estimate. The duration of these ten contemporary kingdoms then would be 26 × 18, that is, 468 years, and their period would be from 850 to 382 B. C. when Mahāpadma exterminated them.