South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

19 i[vv-âṇḍu] Kar[kaḍaga-nâya]rru pû[rvva-pakshat]tu chatu[r]tth[iy]um Veḷḷ[i]- kk[i]lamaiyum [pe]rra Pu[ṇarbû]-
20 śatti=nâḷ.

“ In the 31st year (of the reign) of the Parakêsarivarman [alias] the lord, the glorious Râjêndra-Chôḷadêva,─ on the day of Punarvasu, which corresponding to a Friday and to the fourth tithi of the first fortnight of the month Karkaṭaka in this year.”

The date is intrinsically wrong because the nakshatra on the fourth tithi of a bright half in the month of Karkaṭaka cannot be Punarvasu. The equivalent of the date apparently is Friday,the 23rd July A.D. 1042, which was the 28th day of the month of Karkaṭaka and which was entirely occupied^[1] by the fourth tithi of the bright half (of Śrâvaṇa). The nakshatra on this day was Uttara-Phalgunî, by the equal space system and according to Garga for 13 h. 8 m., and by the Brahma-siddhânta for 9 h. 51 m., after mean sunrise.

C.─ KULOTTUNGA-CHOLA I.
63.─ In the Karavandîśvara temple at Uḍaiyârkôyil.^[2]

1 Svasti śrî || Pugal śûlnda puṇari . . . . . . . . . .
8 . . . . . . . . . . . [kôv=Irâja]kêśaripat[ma]r=âna Tribhuva-
9 nachchakkaravattigaḷ śrî-Ko[l]ô[t]tuṅga-Śôladêvar[k*] ku yâṇḍu 16âvadu . . . . . . . . . . Mîna-nâyarru [appara-pakshattu V]i[y]âla-kkilamai[y]um dacha(śa)miyu[m] perra Uttirâḍa[ttu nâḷ].

In the 16th year (of the reign) of king Râjakêsarivaman alias the emperor of the three worlds, the glorious Kulôttuṅga-Chôḷadêva,─ on the day of Uttarâshâḍhâ, which corresponded to a Thursday and to the tenth tithi of the second fortnight of the month of Mîna.”

A date of the month of Mîna of the 16th year of Kulôttuṅga-Chôḷa I. would be expected to fall in A.D. 1086,[3] and in my opinion this date undoubtedly corresponds to Thursday, the 12th March A.D. 1086, which was the 19th day of the month of Mîna, and on which the nakshatra was Uttarâshâḍhâ, by the equal space system and according to Garga for 16 h. 25 m., and by the Brahma-siddhânta for 9 h. 51 m., after mean sunrise. But the tithi which ended on this day, 10 h. 50 m. after mean sunrise, was the 9th, not the 10th tithi, of the dark half (of Phâlguna).─ This result shows that the word dachamiyum of the original date should be altered to navamiyum.^[4]

D.─ VIKRAMA-CHOLA.
64.─In the Vâmanapurîśvara temple at Tirumâṇikuli.[5]

1 [S]va[s]ti śr[î] [||*] Pû-mâdu puṇara . . . . . . . . . . . .
2 . . . . . . . kô=P[parakê]śar[i]pa[ṇ]mar=â[na] Ti[r]ibuvanachcha[k*]karavattigaḷ śrî-Vikkirama-Śôladêvarku yâṇḍu padin-o[nrâvadu] . . . [nâya]rr[u apa]ra-pakshattu êkâdaśiyum Budan-kilamaiyum perra Viśâgattu nâḷ.

“ In the eleventh year (of the reign) of king Parakêsarivarman alias the emperor of the threes worlds, the glorious Vikrama-Chôḷadêva,─ on the day of Viśâkhâ, which corresponded to a Wednesday and to the eleventh tithi of the second fortnight of te month of . . . . . . .”

____________________________
^[1] The tithi was a prathama-chaturthî.
^[2] No. 399 of the Government Epigraphist’s collection for 1902.
^[3] See above, p. 7, note 5.
^[4] [It is not absolutely excluded that the writer wanted to write navamiyum, and that the two Grantha letters
da and cha are in really a badly shaped na nad va, respectively.─ E. H.]
^[5] No. 148 of the Government of Epigraphist’s collection of 1902.