South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

sunrise. The ending point of Uttarâshâḍhâ being 276º 42ʹ 15ʺ or 280º, the moon of course was in the sign Makara (270º -300º).

According to our date, this Thursday, the 7th July A.D. 1020, fell in the ninth year of the king’s reign. How far this statement may agree with other dates of Râjêndra-Chôḷa I., will be considered below, under No. 34.

33.─ On a stone lying at the Bâṇêśvara temple at Beḷatûru.1

1 Svati śrî [||*] Pûrvva-dêsamuṁ
2 Gaṁgeyuṁ Kaḍâramuṁ goṇḍa kô Pa-
3 rakêsarivarmmar=âna śrî-Râjêndra-
4 Chôladêvargg=iyâṇḍu irppatt-eraḍâ-
5 vudu [|*] svasti [|*] Saka-nṛipa-kâḷ-âtîta-saṁvatsara-
6 śataṁga 955ya Śrîmukha-saṁvatsarada Mârggaśi-
7 ra-suddha-pâḍivam=Mûl-Ârkkad=aṁdu.

“ In the twenty-second year (of the reign) of king Parakêsarivarman alias the glorious Râjêndra-Chôḷadêva, who conquered the Eastern country, the Gaṅgâ, and Kaḍâram,^[2] ─ on Sunday, (the nakshatra being) Mûla, during the first tithi of the bright fortnight of Mârgaśira in the Śrîmukha year (which was) the 955th of the hundreds of years passed from the time of the Śaka king.”

The Jovian year Śrîmukha by the southern luni-solar system was Śaka-Saṁvat 955 as an expired year (= A.D. 1033-34). In that year the first tithi of the bright half of Mârgaśira ended 3 h. 54 m. after mean sunrise of Saturday, the 27th October A.D. 1033, when the nakshatra was Anurâdhâ. This in no way satisfies the requirement of the case.

I have no doubt that the month intended in the original is really the month Pausha of our Tables^[3] (which follows immediately upon Mârgaśira), because, for that month, the date regularly corresponds to Sunday, the 25th November A.D. 1033,^[4] when the first tithi of the bright half ended 21 h 14 m., and when the nakshatra was Mûla,^[5] by the Brahma-siddhânta for 2 h. 38 m., according to Garga for 7 h. 53 m., and by the equal-space system or 20 h. 21 m., after mean sunrise.

According to our date, this Sunday, the 25th November A.D. 1033, fell in the twenty-second year of the king’s reign. This, too, will be considered under the next date.

34.- On a stone in front of the Arkêśvara temple at Aṅkanâthapura.^[6]

1 Svasti [||*] Sha(śa)ka-varishaṁ 959neya I(î)śvara-shatsaṁrada^[7]
2 Âsaḍa-mâssada^[8] Kâḷashṭavaya Shâti-naktra Somma-
3 varada [a]ndu śrî-Mmu(mu)ḍigoṇḍa-Gaṅgegoṇḍa-Râjhê(jê)ndra-Chô-
4 ladêvarkk=iya(yâ)ṇḍu ippata-aravudu.^[9]

____________________________
^[1] Mr. Rice’s Ep. Carn. Vol. IV. Hg. 17.
^[2] Compare above, Vol. IV. p. 69, date No. 5.
^[3] I must add that there may be a way of proving the quotation in the original date of the month Mârgaśira to be correct. In Śaka-Saṁvat 955 expired, by the rules of mean intercalation, a month was intercalated before Pausha. That month would ordinarily be called Pausha ; but it might be called Mârgaśira on the supposition that it was calculated by the Ârya-siddhânta, and named according to Brahmagupta’s rule ; see my List of North. Inscr. No. 484. This remark does not affect the correctness of the European equivalent of the date, given above.
^[4] On the immediately preceding day the Dhanuḥ-saṁkrânti took place, 13 h. after mean sunrise.
^[5] That it is correct to translate Mûl- Ârkad=andu by ‘ on Sunday, (the nakshatra being) Mûla,’ is proved by a date on p. 17 of the Roman text of Ep. Carn. Vol. IV. That date gives us for calculation Śaka-Saṁvat 1039 (current, the year Durmukha), Jyaishṭha-bahula 1, and Mûl-Ârkavâra ; and it corresponds to Sunday, the 28th May A.D. 1116, when the first tithi of the dark half commenced 4 h. 32 m. after mean sunrise, and when the nakshatra was Mûla by all systems.
^[6] Mr. Rice’s Ep. Carn. Vol. IV. Hg. 104.
^[7] Read -saṁvatsarada.
^[8] Read Âshâḍha-mâsada Kâḷâshṭamiyaṁ Srâti-nakshatraṁ Sôma-vârad=andu.
^[9] Read ippatt-ârvadu