South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

2 nrân=diyadiyum pûruva-pakshattu=tde(tta)śamiyumyum^[1] Budan-kilamaiyum perra Śôdi-nâḷ.

“In the 8th (year) opposite to the 31st year (of the reign) of Arikêsaridêva alias Parâkrama-Pâṇḍyadêva, which was current after the Śaka year one thousand three hundred and eighty-one (had passed),─ on the day of Svâti, which corresponded to a Wednesday, and to the tenth tithi of the first fortnight, and to the twenty-third solar day of the month of Mithuna.”

The three dates Nos. 36-38 shew that the reign of Jaṭilavarman Parâkrama-Pâṇḍya commenced between (approximately) the 25th March and the 19th July A.D. 1422. A date of the month of Mithuna of the 8th year opposite to the 31st year, i.e. of the 39th year, of the same reign should therefore fall in either A.D. 1460 or 1461. Now assuming this date No. 39 to be really one of the 39th regnal year, its proper equivalent could only be Wednesday, the 17th June A.D. 1461. On this day the 10th tithi of the bright half (of the month Âshâḍha) ended 17 h. 51 m., and the nakshatra was Svâti, by the equal space system for 19 h. 42 m., by the Brahmasiddhânta for 3 h. 17 m., and according to Garga for 7 h. 13 m., after mean sunrise. But the 17th June A.D. 1461 was the 21st (not the 23rd) day of the month of Mithuna,^[2] and fell in Śaka-Saṁvat 1383 (not 1381) expired.

No better result would be obtained if we were to assume the writer to have quoted the Śaka year correctly and the regnal year incorrectly. Śaka-Saṁvat 1381 expired would yield no satisfactory result at all. For Śaka-Saṁvat 1381 current the date might be said to correspond to Wednesday, the 21st June A.D. 1458, on which day the 10th tithi of the bright half (of the month Âshâḍha) ended 15 h. 35 m., and the nakshatra was Svâti, by the equal space system for 10 h. 30 m., after mean sunrise. But the 21st June A.D. 1458 was the 24th (not the 23rd) day of the month of Mithuna^[3] (and would fall in the 36th or 37th, not the 39th year of the king’s reign).

The date therefore is certainly incorrect ; but I have hardly any doubt that its incorrectness is caused by the writer’s interchanging the last figures of the numbers of the Śaka year and of the sola day (i.e. by his giving us erroneously 1381 instead of 1383, and 23 instead of 21), and that the day intended is Wednesday, the 17th June A.D. 1461. And accepting this result as correct, it would follow that the king’s reign commenced between (approximately) the 18th June and the 19th July A.D. 1422.

E.- JATILAVARMAN PARAKRAMA-PANDYA (KULASEKHARA).
40.- In the Visvanâtha temple at Tenkâsi.^[4]

1 Subham=astu [||*] Śakâbdam 1421 l mêl śellâninra [|*] svasti śrî [|*] Kô Jaṭilavarmmar=âna Tribhuvanachakravattigaḷ Kâ[r*]ttigai-nâḷ piranda Parâkki[ra*]ma-Pâṇḍiyadêvar 2 âna Kulaśêgaradêvar nam yâṇḍu irubadâvadu Virichchiga-nâyarru padinañjân= diyadiyum ^[5]pûrvvava-pakshattu dvâdaśiyum Bṛihaspati-vâramum perra 3 Rêba(va)ti-nâḷ.

“In the twentieth year (of the reign) of king Jaṭilavarman alias the emperor of the three worlds, Parâkrama-Pâṇḍyadêva alias Kulaśêkharadêva who was born on the day of Kṛittikâ, which (year) was current after the Śaka year 1421 (had passed),─ on the day of Rêvatî, which corresponded to a Thursday, and to the twelfth tithi of the first fortnight, and to the fifteenth solar day of the month of Vṛiśchika.”
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^[1] Cancel the second yum.
^[2] In A.D. 1461 the Mithuna-saṁkrânti took place 6 h. 41 m. after mean sunrise of Thursday, the 28th May.
^[3] In A.D. 1458 the same Saṁkrânti took place 12 h. 4 m. after mean sunrise of Sunday, the 28th May.
^{[4 ]} No. 197 of the Government Epigraphist’s collection for 1895.
^{[5 ]} Read pûrvva-.