South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

Mr. Venkayya has discovered and sent to me a third date of the king Parântaka I., which should admit of verification, and which I have examine but do not venture to publish yet. I am also keeping back a number of dates of Kulôttuṅga-Chôḷa II and Râjâdhirâja II., because I am not fully convinced of the correctness of my general results. The discovery of additional dates of these kings is highly to be desired and would be of considerable importance. Mr. Venkayya has kindly checked the readings of the original dates here published, after they were in print.

A.─ PARANTAKA I.

101.─ In the Śivalôkanâtha temple at Grâmam.^[1]

16 Svasti śrî [||*] Kali[y*]uga-va[r*]sham nâlâyirattu nâr[pa]-
17 ttu nâlu Madiraikaṇḍa kô=Pparakêśaripanmar-
18 ku yâṇḍu 36âvadu Kali[y*]u . . . [nra] nâḷ
19 padinângu-nûrâ[y*]irattu elu[ba] . . . . [i]rattu
20 muppattu êlu . . . . . . . .
22 . . . . i[v]v-âṭṭai Ma-
23 [gara-nâ]yarru=Chchani-kkilamai perra ^[2]Iravadi-n[âḷ].

“ (In) the Kaliyuga year four thousand and forty-four, the 36th year (of the reign) of king Parakêsarivarman who took Madirai,─ on the fourteen-hundred-thousand, seven[ty] . . . . . [thousand] thirty-seventh day . . . . . . Kaliyuga . . . on the day of Rêvatî, which corresponded to a Saturday of the month of Ma[kara] in this year.”

For the current year 4044 of the Kaliyuga this date corresponds to Saturday, the 14th January A. D. 943, which by the Ârya-siddhânta was the 23rd day of the month of Makara and on which [the 6th tithi of the bright half of Mâgha ended 18 h. 21 m., while] the nakshatra was Rêvatî for 9 h. 12 m., after mean sunrise. The preceding Makara-saṁkrânti, according to the Ârya-siddhânta, had taken place 8 h. 33 m. after mean sunrise of Friday, the 23rd December A.D. 942, when the ahargaṇa, calculated by Warren’s Table, was 1477014d. 8 h. 33 m. That Friday, therefore, was the 1477015th day of the Kaliyuga, and Saturday, the 14th January A.D. 943, the 1477037th day, the day which, without any doubt, was put down in the original date.

Above, Vol. VII. p. 1, I have stated that between A.D. 900 and 985 the Chôḷa date No. 55, which is of the 40th year of the reign of Parântaka I., must correspond to either the 24th July A.D. 919 or the 25th July A.D. 946. The present date No. 101, which is of the 36th year of the same reign and corresponds to the 14th January A.D. 943, shows that the second alternative given by me really furnishes the true equivalent of the date No. 55. And the two dates together prove that Parântaka I. commenced to reign between (approximately) the 15th January and the 25th July A.D. 907.

I may add that this is the earliest known Chôḷa date which can be verified, and that of the 136 dates hitherto examined it is the only one in which the era of the Kaliyuga is quoted. Among the same dates, 18 quote the Śaka era ; and of these, 12 are in Kanarese, 4 in Telugu, and only 2 (No. 6 of Ś. 1030, and No. 16 of Ś. 1119) in Tamil inscriptions. The Śaka year 991 is quoted in the date of a Tamil inscription of Vîrarâjêndra, which does not admit of verification.

B.─ RAJENDRA-CHOLA I.

102.─ In the Dârukâvanêśvara temple at Tiruppalâtturai.^[3]

1 Sva[sti] śrî [||*] Tiru mann[i] vaḷara . . . . kô = [Ppa][ra*]kêśaripa[nma]r=âna śrî-Râjêntra(ndra)-Chôḷadêvarku [yâṇḍu 5âvadu]
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^[1] No. 735 of the Government Epigraphist’s collection for 1905.
^[2] Read Irêvadi-.
^[3] No. 275 of the Government Epigraphist’s collection for 1903.