South Indian Inscriptions

KALACHURI CHEDI - ERA

In 1949, in an article entitled ‘New Light on the Epoch of the Kalachuri Era’ Published in the Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXV, pp. 81 ff., the present writer showed that the date 322 of the Nagardhan plates of Svāmirāja. which had been discovered in the preceding year, probably referred to the Kalachuri era, and that the details of the date recorded in the grant indicated a new epoch of the era, viz., 250-51 A, C.¹

We have so far seen how our knowledge about the epoch of the Kalachuri-Chēdi era has advanced step by step since 1859 when Dr. Fitz-Edward Hall first made his ingenious conjecture on the subject. We shall next examine such dates of the era as furnish details for computation in order to determine the exact epoch of the era.

Leaving aside the date of the Nagardhan plates which appears exceptional, we find that the dates of the Kalachuri era fall into two groups, viz.-(I) the earlier ones down to the year 490 which come from Gujarat and Maharashtra where, as shown below, the era had its origin, and (2) the latter ones from the year 722 to the year 969 which come from Vindhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh including Chhattisgargh, where the era was introduced with the extension of the Kalachuri power. It has already been pointed out by Kielhorn² that the same epoch does not suit these two groups of dates. In regard to the first, the only equation which yields satisfactory results is Kalachuri-Samvat o=248-49 A. C., while in regard to the second, the equation is Kala-churi-Samvat o=247-48 A. C. In both the periods the Kalachuri year commenced on Kārttika śu. di. I, but in the earlier period the months were generally amānta, while in the latter one they were generally pūrnimānta.

EARLY DATES OF THE KALACHURI ERA
As the epoch for these dates is 248-49 A. C., the first day of the first current year of that era is the amānta Karttikā śu. di. I (25 th September) in 249 A. C. (corresponding to the expired Śaka year 171). Therefore, to convert a current Kalachuri year into an expired Śaka year we have to add 170 when the date falls in any of the months from Kārttika to Phālguna, and 171 in all other cases. Similarily to convert an expired Kalachuri year into an expired Śaka year we have to add 171 and 172 respectively in the same circumstances.

Among early dates of the era, there are only five which contain the details necessary for computation. Three of these are in expired years, and the remaining two, in current ones, as shown below:-

Dates in Expired Years
1. Navsāri plates of Jayabhata III (NO. 21, p. 82)-Lines 30-31-Māgha-śuddha- pañchadaśyām chandr-ōparāgē, ‘on the 15 th tithi of the bright fortnight of Māgha, on the occasion of a lunar eclipse.’ Lines 41-42 give the year 456 (expressed in both words and numerical symbols). The plates mentioned also in 1. 43 the tithi (now completely lost) and the week-day (which, judging from the traces left, was either Monday or Tuesday) on which the grant was recorded. Assuming that the grant was recorded on the same day on which it was made, i. e., Māgha śu. di. 15, Monday or Tuesday, we find that according to the epoch of 248-49 A. C., the corresponding Christian date for the expired year 456 (i. e., for the expired Śaka year 456+171=627) is Tuesday, the 2nd February 706 A. C. On that day, the aforementioned tithi ended 16 h. 30 m. after mean sunrise, and there was a lunar eclipse as stated in the grant.

If the year 456 is applied as current, the tithi falls on the 14th January 705 A. C., which was a Wednesday (not Monday or Tuesday as required). Besides, there was no lunar
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¹ The same epoch appears to be applicable in the case of the date of the Ellora plates of Dantidurga, which should be read as Sam. 463, not as Sam. 663. J. B. B. R. A. S. (N. S.), Vol. XXVI, pp. 163 ff.
² Ep. Ind., Vol. V, Appendix, p. 57, notes 6 and 7.