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170
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[Vol. III.
and the Vriddhi yôga. By the southern luni-solar system only can Prabhava be connected with Saka-Samyat 169 expired; and, by that system, it coincided with the given year, which is virtually Saks, Samvat 170 current. The new-moon tithi of the purnimanta Phålguna began on Friday, 11th February, A.D. 248, at about ll ghafis, 15 palas,=4 hrs. 30 min., after mean suprise (for Bombay). But, on that day, there was neither the Rêvati nakshatra, No. 27, nor the Vriddhi yoga, No. 11; at sunrise the nakshatra was Satatáraka, No. 24, and the yoga was either Siddha, No. 21, or Sådhya, No. 22. The new-moon tithi of the amanta Phâlguna began on Saturday, llth March, at about 48 gh. 50 P.,=19 hrs. 32 min. The use of the southern luni-solar system of the cycle in this record is itself evidence of comparatively late date; for, the mean-sign system was the one for Southern India, up to at any rate A.D. 804.
The Harihar grant purports to be dated in the Sadhârana samvatsara, Saka-Sarnvat 272, on the new-moon tithi of Phålguna, on Sunday. Here, again, the samvatsara can be connected with the given year only by the southern luni-solar system, according to which Sådhårana coincided with Saka-Samvat 272, as an expired year, i.e. with Saka-Samvat 273 current. But the new-moon tithi of the púrnimánta Phâlgana began on Monday, 11th February, A.D. 351, at about 51 gh. 30 p.,=20 hrs. 44 min.; and the new-moon tithi of the amanta Phålguna ended on Thursday, 14th March, at about 6 gh. 20 p.,=2 hrs. 32 min. Here, again, the use of the southern luni-solar system of the cycle is itself evidence of a comparatively late date. And so also is the fact that the Saka year is expressed by numerical words; for, the earliest genuine epigraphic instance of this, in India, is the record which gives the date of the coronation of Amma II. in A.D. 945, and the earliest absolutely reliable instance in Western India, known to me, is an inscription of the time of the Western Châlukya king Somêśvara II. at Appigere in the Dharwâr district, dated.in A.D. 1071.
The Merkara grant purporte to be dated in the year 388, which is taken to be, and can only be, Saka-Samvat 388, on the fifth tithi of the bright fortnight of Mágha, on Monday. But, in Saka-Samvat 388 current, the given tithi ended on Friday, 7th January, A.D. 466, at about 21 gh. 50 p.=8 hrs. 44 min. And, with Śaka-Samvat 388 expired, the given tithi, in SakaSamvat 389 current, began on Tuesday, 27th December, A.D. 466, at about 7 gh. 45 p.,=3 hrs. 6 min.
And the Hosûr grant purports to be dated in Saka-Sarvat 684 expired, in the month Vaisakha, on Friday, on the occasion of an eclipse of the moon. In this year, however, the full-moon tithi ended on Tuesday, 13th April, A.D. 762; and on this day there was no lunar eclipse.
It is necessary now to say a few words about the Tamil chronicle, the Kongudêśa-R&jákkal, which has already been incidentally mentioned. It purports to give an account of twenty-eight kings of the Konga or Kongu country, from four generations before A.D. 82-83 to A.D. 894-95. In many respects it agrees with the grants : so much so that it and they plainly have some very close connection; though, whether the grants were fabricated from the chronicle, or whether the grants having been first concocted, the chronicle, which mentions charters of A.D. 82-83, 178-79, 288-89, 746-47, and 878-89, was put together, with additions from them, or whether all
Por this date, nee aloo Ind. Ant. Vol. XVII. p. 241; some of the details given there are, however, superfluous, as no year can possibly be concerned except Saks-Samvat 170 current (169 expired). In snch cases as the present ones, it is only necessary to state the beginning or the end of a lithi, whichever fulls on or nearest to the given week-day.
* See Ind. Ant. Vol. XVII. p. 142.
* That the date is expressed in this way was partially recognised by Mr. Rice (Ind. Ant. Vol. VII. p. 170). The proper reading of the text is Saga-vara nayana giri-nayana.
• Sir Walter Elliot's Carnafaka-Ddis Inscription, Vol. I. p. 216.
The lunar eclipses of A.D. 762 were on the 15th January and the 10th July (see Von Oppolzer's Canos der Finsterniue, p. 355).
