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24
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL VI.
"In the twelfth year (of the reign) of king Rajakesarivarman alias the lord sriRajendradova, who was pleased to be seated on the throne of heroes, - during the full-moon ithi of the month of Phålguna in the .. . .year (which was) the Saka year 984."
This date does not admit of verification. All that I can say about it, is, that if the Saka year is Saka-Samvat 984 expired, the date, which is stated to be of the twelfth year of the king's reign, will ordinarily correspond to the 15th February A.D. 1063. From No. 38, below, it will be seen that this day fell really in the eleventh year of the king's reign.
38.-In the Rajagopala-Perumaļ temple at Manimangalam. 13 .......... kô=Ppara[k]ësari(panmar]=&na [u]dai[y]år śri
Rajendradêvar[ku] påņdu nålåvar It du [na"]! 8[2] 11 . . . . . . . . . . ivv-åttai Si[mi]ha-nayarra
apara-paksba[t]tu ashtamiyum Viyala-kkilamaiyum 15 perra Rôja(hi)ņi-nå!.
“On the 8[2]nd day of the fourth year (of the reign) of king Parakesarivarman alias the lord sri-Rajendradeva,- on the day of Rôhiņi, which corresponded to & Thursday and to the eighth tithi of the second fortnight of the month of Simha in this year."
Of the years indicated in a general way by the two preceding dates, the one which yields a correct and a most satisfactory) result for this date, is Saka-Samvat 977 expired. In that year the month of Simha lasted from the 27th July to the 26th August A.D. 1055; and during that time the 8th tithi of the dark half (which was the 8th tithi of the dark half of the amanta vija Sråvana) commenced 14 h. 20 m. after mean sunrise of Thursday, the 17th August A.D. 1055, when the nakshatra was Rohiņi, from sunrise (or, by the equal space system, from about midday) to the end of the day. Although the tithi commenced so late in the day, the result is correct, because the tithi with which we are concerned is the Janm-ashtami or Krishn-Ashtami, a tithi which must be joined with that day of which the time of midnight is occupied by it, and which therefore, in the present instance, could have been joined only with the Thursday on which it commenced about four hours before midnight. The occasion was the more auspicious as the nakshatra at midnight was Rohiņi.
The equivalent of this date, then, undoubtedly is Thursday, the 17th August A.D. 1055. As this was the 82nd day of the fourth year of the king's reign, the first day of the fourth year was the 28th May A.D. 1055, and Rajendradêva's reign commenced (approximately) on the 28th May A.D. 1052. The result shews that the equivalent of the date No. 36 (the 27th October A.D. 1057) fell in the sixth year of his reign, while the equivalent suggested for No. 37 (the 15th February A.D. 1063) fell in the eleventh, not in the twelfth year.
For convenience of reference the commencement of the reigns of the seven Chôļa kings whose dates have been examined in the preceding, may now be given thus:
1.-Rájardja: between the 25th June and the 25th July A.D. 985. 2.-Rajendra-Chola I.: between the 26th November A.D. 1011, and the 7th July 2012. 3.-Rajadhirkja: between the 15th March and the 3rd December A.D. 1018. 4.-Rajendradeva: (approximately) the 28th May A.D. 1052. 5.-Kulôttunga-Chola I. : between the 14th March and the 8th October A.D. 1070. 6.- Vikrama-Chola: (most probably) the 18th July A.D. 1108. 7.-Kulottunga-Chola III. : between the 8th June and the 8th July A.D. 1178.
lo all other published inscriptions the king bears the surname Parakesarivarman. • South-Ind. Inscr. Vol. III, No. 29. pp. 61 and 63. • Compare Ind. Ant. Vol. XXVI. p. 182, Srdoana-krishnapaksha VIII.