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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA 40 Seers or about 82 pounds) of rice, possibly per day, to the deity with the cognizance of Mahādēva Pāṭhin known from Nos. 1 and 3. The grant was made with clarified butter, curds, curry and betel-leaf as in the other cases analysed above. The other piece of land measured 10 Māṇas (i.e. ½ Vāṭi) and was apparently situated in the same locality and dedicated to the same god. It is stated to have been granted for making provision for the supply of ten bundles (? halā) of fragrant flowers probably per day. This grant was made with the cognizance of a person called Kalūā-mālaṇī. The dates of the inscriptions under discussion raise certain interesting questions, the first of which relates to the initial year of the reign of Anaṅgabhīma III. The late Mr. M. Chakravarti believed that the said Gaṅga king ascended the throne in Śaka 1133 (1211-12 A.D.)[1] and this suggestion has been generally accepted by scholars.[2] Our inscriptions, however, show that a date in his 13th regnal year (15th Aṅka) fell in Śaka 1147 (1225-26 A.D.), while the end of the 24th (29th Aṅka) and the beginning of the 25th (31st Aṅka) year of his reign fell in the month of Kumbha or Phālguna in Śaka 1158 (1236-37 A.D.). This fact would suggest that Anṅgabhīma III ascended the throne not in Śaka 1133 but in the month of Phālguna in Śaka 1134, that is to say, about the beginning of 1213 A.D. Inscription No. 3 is dated in Śaka 1158, Kumbha-sudi 6, corresponding to February 3, 1237 A.D. This date fell in the king’s 29th Aṅka or 24th regnal year, while Inscription No. 4, is dated is Śaka 1158, Phālguna (Kumbha)-badi 1 corresponding to February 12, 1237 A.D. and falling in his 31st Aṅka or 25th regnal year. This the end of the 24th and the beginning of the 25th regnal year of Gaṅga Anaṅgabhīma III fell on a date between the 3rd and 12th February, 1237 A.D. His accession or the beginning of his first regnal year therefore fell on a date in the corresponding period of 1213 A.D. It may be recalled in this connection that a Bhubaneswar inscription of Narasiṁha I, son and successor of Anaṅgabhīma III, is dated in Śaka 1165 and in the Aṅka year 5 (i.e. the 4th regnal year) of that king’s reign and that this suggests a later date than the one proposed by Chakravarti for this prince’s accession.[3] It has, however, to be admitted that, among other known records of the time of Anaṅgabhīma III, some[4] would support the evidence of the inscriptions under study while some others[5] would suggest a slightly earlier date for his accession. Similarly there is no uniformity in the epigraphic evidence relating to the date of the accession of Narasiṁha I.[6] Much of this discrepancy is no doubt due to the mistakes committed by the scribes responsible for the epigraphs.[7]
According to Chakravarti, the characteristics of the Aṅka system of regnal reckoning are the following : (1) 1 and all figures ending in 0 (except 10) and 6 should be omitted ; (2) the last Aṅka of one king and the second Aṅka (i.e. regnal year 1) of the succeeding king fall in the same year ; and (3) the year begins on the day of Suniyā, Siṁha (Bhādrapada) śukla-dvādaśī.[8] Inscriptions _______________________________________________
[1] JASB, 1903, p. 118.
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