About this stamp
Samrat Vikramaditya
India Post issued this ₹5 stamp on 22 December 2016 on Samrat Vikramaditya, the legendary emperor of ancient India whose name means “Sun of Valour”. Tradition credits him with founding the Vikram Samvat, the era that begins in 57 BC, and with ruling long at Ujjain. The Vikram Samvat, a lunar calendar also called Krita and Malava, is used in India alongside the Saka era and the Gregorian calendar and is Nepal’s official calendar; the Hindi preamble of the Constitution gives the date of its adoption in Vikram Samvat.
Legend and History
The Kathasaritsagara makes Vikramaditya the son of King Mahendraditya of Ujjain, and he is the hero of the Simhasana Battisi and Vetala Panchavimshati tales. Many historians think the name was a title taken by later kings: Chandragupta II of the Gupta dynasty became Vikramaditya after defeating the Shakas, and the title is also linked with Bhoja of Dhar, Siddharaja Jayasimha of Gujarat and Hemu, who fought the Mughals at the second battle of Panipat.
The stamp was designed by Brahm Prakash; Security Printing Press, Hyderabad printed 402,890.
For More Information
Read more here:
