Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India c22.5

c22.5

and observes, “This couplet was composed probably in the eighth century A.D., and, from the absence of any mention of Gayā, it appears that any importance it may have had then was only local and that it did not acquire a pan-Indian celebrity before this time. This is strengthened by the fact that while in ( of? ) the Gupta period there is only one inscription found at Gayā, in (of?) the Pāla period (c. 750—c. 1200) no less than six inscriptions are found here. These things evidently point to the growing importance of Gayā in the period subsequent to 750 A.D., *i.e.*, in the period of the Agni-Purāṇa.” We are sorry that we cannot agree with the author’s contentions.