South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

date were Saturday, the date would correspond to Saturday, the 14th April A.D. 1128, when the 13th tithi of the bright half commenced 2 h. 33 m., and the nakshatra was Hasta, by the equal space system and according to Garga for 17 h. 44m., and by the Brahma-siddhânta for 14 h. 27 m., after mean sunrise.─ The earlier year of Vikrama-Chôḷa’s reign, in which the date, as recorded, is quite correct, would be the 13th, for which the date would correspond to Sunday, the 12th April A.D. 1131, with the nakshatra Hasta.

D.- KULOTTUNGA-CHOLA III.
60.- In the Sômanâthêsvara temple at Sômaṅgalam.^[1]

1 . . . . . Tribhuvanachchakravarttigaḷ Maduraiyum=[Î]lamuṅ=goṇḍ=aruḷina śrī-Kulôttuṅga-Śôladêvarku yâṇḍu 14âvadu Magara-nâyarru pû[r]vva-pakshattu Viyâla-kkilamaiyum Pû[śa]mum prathamaiyum=ânav=anru.

“In the 14th year (of the reign) of the emperor of the three worlds, the glorious Kulôttuṅga-Chôḷadêva who was pleased to take Madurai and Îlam,─ on a day which was Thursday, (the day of) Pushya, and the first tithi of the first fortnight of the month of Makara.”

The wording of this date is intrinsically wrong, because during the month of Makara the moon can never be anywhere near the nakshatra Pushya on the first tithi of the first fortnight. The probability is that the first fortnight has been erroneously quoted instead of the second, and for the second fortnight the date is correct.

A date of the month of Makara of the 14th year of the king’s reign will be expected to fall in December A.D. 1191 or in January A.D. 1192, and in my opinion this date actually corresponds to Thursday, the 2nd January A.D. 1192, which was the 8th day of the month of Makara, and on which the first tithi of the dark half (of the month Pausha) ended 10 h. 12 m., and the nakshatra was Pushya, by the equal space system and according to Garga for 3 h. 56 m., and by the Brahma-siddhânta for 1 h. 58 m., after mean sunrise.

* * * * * *

For convenience of reference I give below a list of all the dates of Chôḷa kings examined in Vols. IV.─VII., with the exception only of the date of the 40th year of Parântaka I., No. 55, for which, as possible equivalents, I have given also Saturday, the 24th July A.D. 919, and Saturday, the 25th July A.D. 946. Under the name of each king, I state approximately the time when he must have commenced to reign.

A.-Râjarâja I. Râjakêsarivarman.^[2]
(Between the 25th June and the 25th July A.D. 985.)^[3]

No. 1 (Vol. IV. p. 66).─ Year 7 : the 26th September A.D. 991.
No. 25 (Vol. V. p. 48).─ Year 15 : Tuesday, the 29th August A.D. 999.
No. 27 (Vol. V. p. 197).─ Year 15 : Wednesday, the 15th May A.D. 1000.^[4]
No. 2 (Vol. IV. p. 67).─ Śaka 929 (current). This date is incorrect.
No. 3 (Vol. IV. p. 68).─ Year 28, Śaka 934. The date would correspond to the 23rd
December A.D. 1012, but contains no details for verification.

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^[1] No. 183 of the Government Epigraphist’s collection for 1901.
^[2] Or Kêsarivarman.
^[3] See Vol. VI, p. 20.
^[4] In the original date the week-day is wrongly given as Thursday, instead of Wednesday.