History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c11.128

c11.128

(a) Certain Nepalese inscriptions³ have been discovered, and among them there are some that refer to a king named Amśuvarman; these are dated in the years 34, 39 and 45. He is described in these inscriptions as a mere *Sāmanta* or *Mahāsāmanta*; and since "it is an indisputable axiom that nobody but an anointed king can initiate a *Samvat* of his own",⁴ Amśuvarman has been ruled out as a possible originator of the era in which they are dated. Yuan Chwang calls Amśuvarman a "recent king"; and the characters of the inscriptions are also said to belong to the close of the sixth, or the early part of the seventh century A. D.⁵ Hence, the dates have with some plausibility been referred to the Harsa era, as at this period it was “in widest use”; and “no other known Indian era can meet the requirements of the case.”¹ Granting this circumstance, it necessarily implies the subordination of Nepal to Kanauj, for no other independent monarch would use the era started by another.²