South Indian Inscriptions

KALACHURI CHEDI - ERA

eclipse on that day. In 704 A. C. also there was no lunar eclipse on the stated tithi. This shows that the epoch 247-48 A. C. which suits later dates of the era is wholly inapplicable in this case.¹

2. Anjanēri plates of Jayabhata III (No. 22, p.90)-Line 30-Āśvayuja-babul-aikādaśyām Tulā-samkrāntē ravan, ‘on the eleventh tithi of the dark fortnight of Āśvina, on the occasion of the sun’s entering into the Tulā-rāśi (the zodiacal sign of Libra).’ Line 39 gives the same tithi together with the year 460 (expressed in numerical symbols). The occurrence of the Tulā-sankrānti in the dark fortnight of Āśvina shows that the month was amānta. According to the epoch of 248-49 A. C. with the year commencing on the amānta Kārttika śu. di. I, the date regularly corresponds, for the expired year 460 (i. e., for the expired Śaka year 460+172=632), to Tuesday, the 23 rd September 710 A. C. On that day the 11 th tithi of the dark forthnight of Āśvina commenced 45 m. after mean sunrise, and ended 22 h. 45. m. after mean sunrise on the same day. Like the tithi of the Kāvī plate of K. 486 (No. 23) this was, therefore, a kshaya-tithi; but as the Tulā-sankrānti occurred 15 h. 20 m. after mean sunrise on that day while the 11th tithi of the dark fortnight of Āśvina was current, it is coupled with the latter.

If the year is applied as current, the Tulā-sankrānti falls on Āśvina pūrnimā (the 23rd September 709 A. C.), not on Āśvina va. di. II as required. In 708 A. C. also, the Tulā-sankrānti did not occur on the stated tithi. This shows that the other epoch of 247-48 A. C. is wholly inapplicable in this case also.

3. Kāvī plate of Jayabhata IV (No. 23, p. 96)-Lines 15-16-Ashādha-śuddha-daśamyām Karkkataka-rāśau samkrāntē ravau, ‘on the tenth tithi of the bright half of Āshādha on the occasion of the sun’s entering into the zodiacal sign of Karkkataka.’ Lines 24 and 25 give the year 486, Āshādha śu. 12,² Sunday, as the date of the recording of the grant. According to the epoch of 248-49 A.C., the Karkata-sankrānti in the expired year 486 (i.e., in the expired Śaka year 486+172=658) occurred about 8 h. after means sunrise on the 22 nd June 736 A. C. The tenth tithi of the bright fortnight of Āshādha commenced 21 m. after mean sunrise of the 22nd June and ended I h. 21 m. before mean sunrise of the following day. It was, therefore, a kshaya-tithi,; but as the Karakata-sankrānti took place during the tenth tithi, it is coupled with it. Again the 12th tithi of the bright fortnight of the same lunar month fell on Sunday (the 24th June 736 A. C.) as required. The date is thus perfectly regular.

In the current year 486, on the other hand, the sankrānti occurred on Thursday, the 23rd June 735 A. C., which was the 13th of the dark fortnight of Āshādha (not the 10th of the bright fortnight of that month as required).

In 734 A. C. also, the sankrānti did not occur on Āshādha śu. di. 10. This shows that the other epoch of 247-48 A. C. is wholly inapplicable in this case too.

Dates in Current Years
4. Kāsārē plates of Allaśakti (No. 25, p. 110)-Lines 31-33-Sam 404, Āshādha ba Ā(A)māvasyā[m*] sūrya-grah-ōparāgē, ‘in the year 404, on the new-moon day of the dark fortnight of Āshādha, on the occasion of a solar eclipse’. According to the epoch of 248-49 A. C., the amāvāsya of the pūrnimānta Āshādha in the current year 404 (i. e., in the expired Śaka Year 404+171=575) fell on the 1st June 653 A. C., on which day there was a solar eclipse as stated in the paltes. There was no solar eclipse on the amānta Āshādha of this year.
_____________________

¹ According to this epoch of 247-48 A.C., the date should fall in 704 A.C. if the year 456 was a current year, and in 705 A.C. if it was an expired one.
² As regards the reading of the number of the tithi, see below, p. 98.