Gupta era
Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Gupta era is an Indian way of counting years. It begins in 319–320 CE. That year is generally linked to the start of Chandragupta I's rule, the first great Gupta king. Many Gupta inscriptions, and some later ones, give their dates as years "of the Gupta era". Historians turn these into CE dates by adding about 319–320 years.
Example
Suppose a Gupta-period inscription is dated to year 100 of the Gupta era. A historian adds 319–320 and places it in about 419–420 CE. This kind of conversion helps fix the order of Gupta kings and events.
Don't confuse with
- Shaka era: begins in 78 CE, not 319–320 CE, and is still used in India's national calendar.
- Vikram Samvat: begins in 57 BCE and is far older than the Gupta era.