South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

“ In the [35]th year (of the reign) of the glorious Râjâdhirâjadêva,─ on Sunday, the thirteenth tithi of the bright fortnight of the month of Jyaishṭha in the Vijaya year (which was) the 975th Śaka year.”

The Jovian year Vijaya by the southern luni-solar system was Śaka-Saṁvat 975 as an expired year (=A.D. 1053-54). For that year the date is incorrect ; for the 13th tithi of the bright half of Jyaishṭha of the given year corresponded to Tuesday, the 1st June A.D. 1053, which was entirely occupied by the tithi.^[1]

The date would be correct for the third (instead of the 13th) tithi of the bright half of Jyaishṭha of the given year, which ended 8 h. 13 m. after mean sunrise of Sunday, the 23rd May A.D. 1053.

From what I have stated above, Vol. IV. p. 266, about the commencement of Râjâdhirâja’s reign, it is clear that any date of the 35th year of that king’s reign must fall between (approximately) the 15th March A.D. 1052 and the 2nd December A.D. 1053.

C.─ RAJENDRADEVA.
36.─ On a stone near the Binakalamma temple at Beḷatûru.^[2]

1 Ôṁ [||*] Svasti śrî-Chôḷa-râjaṁ sakaḷa-vasudheyaṁ koṇḍu Râjêndradêvaṁ ^[3]dust-âri-vrâta-ghâtaṁ negaḷe barisam=âr=âge mattaṁ Sak-âbdaṁ [|*] vis[t]â-
2 rak[k*]=oṁbhat-êl-oṁbhatum=ene barisaṁ Hêmaḷaṁbi-prasiddhaṁ svastaṁ mâsaṁ gaḍaṁ Kâ[r*]ttikam=asi[ta]-dinaṁ dvâdasî Sômavâraṁ | (||)

“ Hail ! When it was six years after the glorious Chôḷa king Râjêndradêva, renowned as the slayer of crowds of wicked enemies, had taken possession of the whole earth,─ and again, in detail, in the Śaka year reckoned as nine, seven and nine (i.e. 979), in the year known as Hêmaḷambin, on Monday, the twelfth tithi, a day of the dark (fortnight) of the auspicious month of Kârttika.”

The Jovian year Hêmalambin by the southern luni-solar system was Śaka-Saṁvat 979 as an expired year (=A.D. 1057-58) ; and for that year the date corresponds to Monday, the 27th October A.D. 1057, when the 12th tithi of the dark half of the amânta Kârttika ended 22 h. 9 m. after mean sunrise.

Below, under No. 38, it will be seen that the words of the date ‘ when it was six years after ’ etc., simply are intended to convey the sense of ‘ in the sixth year of the reign of.’

37.─ On a vîrakal at Gujjappanahuṇḍi.^[4]

5 Vîra-siṁggâsanattu vîṭṛ=irind=aruḷina kôv=Irâjakêsaripadmar=âna oḍeya
6 śrî-Râjêndradêvargg=iyâṇḍu panniraṇḍâvudu ….
7 ….
8 Saka-varisha
9 984..^[5]
10 saṁvatsarada
11 Pâlguṇa-mâ-
12 sada puṇṇave-
13 y-andu.

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^[1] The date would be incorrect also for the current Śaka year 975.
^[2] Mr. Rice’s Ep. Carn. Vol. IV. Hg. 18.
^[3] Read dushṭ-.
^[4] Mr. Rice’s Ep. Carn. Vol. IV. Hg. 115. The original is much worn and many aksharas are indistinct, but the figures of the Śaka date in line 9 are clear. The introduction (ll. 1-4) mentions Râjêndra’s elder brother (viz. Râjâdhirâja), the plating of a pillar of victory at Kollâpuram, and the defeat of Âhavamalla at Koppam.
^[5] Here two or three aksharas are lost.