On the Date of the Ellora Plates of Dantidurga

Summary

Addressing a long‑debated issue, this note reassesses the date of the Ellora copper‑plates issued by the Rāṣṭrakūṭa king Dantidurga. Previous scholars had read the numerical signs on the plates as indicating the year 603 or 606 of the Śaka era and consequently dated the grant to the late seventh century. Professor Mirashi argued that the date should be taken in the Kālacuri era. The present author examines the physical form of the numerals, noting that the supposed ‘6’ is actually a symbol for 40 with a cross‑bar added by scribes to guide engravers. By comparing the notation with figures in early Nāgarī and in the Khāṇḍerī inscription of King Amoghavarṣa, he demonstrates that the second symbol denotes 40 and not 6. Moreover, since the plate does not mention Śaka rulers, the absence of an era specification does not justify assuming the Śaka era. Taking the revised reading, the author proposes that the date corresponds to Śaka 643 (A.D. 721) and shows that this fits the historical context of Dantidurga’s rise. The article therefore rejects earlier conjectures and situates the Ellora plates firmly in the mid‑eighth century, improving our understanding of early Rāṣṭrakūṭa chronology.