Dravya Sangraha

Author(s): Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti, Saratchandra Ghoshal
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

Page 42

Xxxvi
INTRODUCTION.
which he gives an account of himself he only makes mention of the victories which he had won. There is no mention of any religious work done by him, and had it been the fact that he crected the colos
al image during the reign of Warasiinha II, le must have mentioned the same, it being a monumental work which has immortaliscil his name. Mârasimha II died in 975 A. D. Châmunda Raya, in his work, named Châmunda Râya Purâ ña, gives a detaileıl account of all his exploits and mentions all his titles and how he clerived the same, but there is not the slightest mention of the erection of the image of Gommatesvara by him. At the end of this work the date of its completion is mentioned to be Saka 900 (A. D. 978). It must have been, therefore, after A. D. 978 and before the last year of the reign of Râchamalla or Rajamalla II that the image of Gominatesvara was erected. The reign of Rajamalla II ended in A. D. 981. We therefore come to a limited period, viz., 978-984 A. I). within which the statue must have been established.
There is a verse in Vahuvali Charitra which purports to give the exact date of the establishment of the image. That verse is as follows:
"कल्क्यब्दे षट्शताख्ये विनुतविभवसंवत्सरे मासि चैत्रे, पञ्चम्यां शुक्लपक्षे दिनमणिदिवसे कुम्भलग्ने सुयोगे । सौभाग्ये मस्तनाम्नि प्रकटितभगणे सुप्रशस्तां चकार
श्रीमचामुण्डराजो वेलगुलनगरे गोमटेश-प्रतिष्ठाम् ॥" i.e., Sri Châmundaraya established the image of Comatesa in the city of Belgula, in Kumbha Lagna, on a Sunday, the fifth day of the bright lunar fortnight, in the month of Chaitra, in the praised year Vibhava, in tbe Kalki age, known as 600, when the auspicious Mrigasira star was visible.
If we accept that the date mentioned above is the truc one, as it indicates an auspicious day on which such a great work might have been performed, we shall have to find out on what date in the years between 978 and 984 A. D. (for we cannot go beyond this period, as has been already shown) was such a combination possible. We have carefully tested all the possible dates according to the methods adopted in astronomy and found out that on Sunday, the 2nd of April 980 A. 11., there was Mrigasira Nakşatra, and that from the previous day (the 20th Chaitra) there was Pañchami Tithi (Sukla Pakşa) and thaj there was also Kumbha Lagna on Sunday. This, therefore, may be accepted to be the date on which Châmunda Raya established the image.