Vikram era
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
It has been suggested that Bikram Samwat be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
The Vikram era, or Vikram samvat is an Indian calendar starting in 57 BCE. The date is supposed to mark the victory of king Vikramaditya over the Sakas, who had invaded Ujjain. To the new era was established to commemorate this event. Alternatively, it is thought to correspond to the Azes era, of the Indo-Scythian king Azes I.
The story is described in "Kalakacharya Kathanaka", a work by a Jain sage called Mahesara Suri (Probably circa 12th century CE). The Kathanaka (meaning, "an account") tells the story of a famed Jain monk Kalakacharya. It mentions that Gardabhilla, the then powerful king of Ujjain, abducted a nun called Sarasvati who was the sister of the monk. The enraged monk sought help of the Saka ruler, a "Sahi", in Sakasthana. Despite heavy odds (but aided by miracles) the Saka king defeated Gardabhilla and made him a captive. Sarasvati was repatriated. Gardabhilla himself was forgiven though. The defeated king retired to the forest where he was killed by a tiger. His son, Vikramaditya, being brought up in the forest, had to rule from Pratishthana (in modern Maharashtra). Later on Vikramaditya invaded Ujjain and drove away the Sakas. To commemorate this event he started a new era called the Vikrama era.
Bhoja, another great Indian king also wanted to start a calendar on his name. But his wise ministers and courtiers denied him the right to start an era, because he could not equal Vikramaditya's greatness. Vikramaditya's greatness was measured by the fact that nobody in Vikramaditya's rule had any debt or loan, i.e. all the public was debt-free during his reign.
[edit] References
- "The dynastic art of the Kushan", John Rosenfield.
