India after Alexander: The Age of Vikramadityas
Author: Dr. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
In “India before Alexander: A New Chronology” a new identity for Devānāmpriya Priyadarśī — that of Kumāragupta I — was proposed, which opened the door for developing a new chronological framework for Indian history for the period spanning from the time of the Buddha to the invasion of India by Alexander. In this book, the chronological reconstruction of the Indian history is continued, starting from the invasion of India by Alexander. A proper understanding of the various eras used in ancient India is developed, and for the first time the correct starting dates of the Nanda Era, the Mālava Era, the Imperial Gupta Era, and the Śūdraka Era are proposed. The focus of the book then shifts to establishing the historicity of Emperor Vikramāditya. The correct meaning of the legend of Vikramāditya is revealed, and different stories of the historical Vikramādityas are attributed to the respective Vikramādityas — Samudragupta, Chandragupta II, Skandagupta, and Yaśodharmā. It is then proposed that the Vikrama Era was instituted to commemorate the death of Emperor Yaśodharmā Vishṇuvardhana Vikramāditya in 57 BCE.