Epigraphia Indica Vol 07

Author(s): E Hultzsch
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 12

No. 1.]
DATES OF CHOLA KINGS.
would work out, if the date No. 42 were really, as it is stated to be, a date of the 9th year of Vikrama-Chôla's reign. Supposing this to be the case, the king's reign would have commenced some time between approximately the 28th May A.D. 1118 and the 27th May A.D. 1119, and with such a commencement of the reign the dates Nos. 21, 22 and 41 would yield the following equivalents :
No. 21, of the 4th year, would correspond to Monday, the 1st May A.D. 1122. This was the 7th day of the month of Vrishabha, and on it the 8th tithi of the dark half (of the month Vaisakha) ended 13 h. 28 m., while the nakshatra was Satabhishaj, by the equal space system and according to Garga from 0 h. 39 m., and by the Brahma-siddhânta from 1 h. 19 m., after mean sunrise.
No. 22, of the 5th year, would correspond to Monday, the 31st July A.D. 1122. This was the 4th day of the month of Simha, and on it the 11th tithi of the dark half (of the month Śrâvana) ended 4 h. 24 m., while the nakshatra was Ardra, by the equal space system for 12 h. 29 m., and according to Garga for 0 h. 39 m., after mean sunrise.
No. 41, of the 16th year, would correspond to Monday, the 18th April A.D. 1134, when the 6th tithi of the dark half of Vaisakha ended 13 h. 11 m., and the nakshatra was Uttarashaḍhâ, by the equal space system and according to Garga for 23 h. 38 m., and by the Brahma-siddhanta for 17 h. 4. m., after mean sunrise.
It is quite clear then, that, supposing the king's reign to have commenced between approximately the 28th May A.D. 1118 and the 27th May A.D. 1119, the three dates Nos. 21, 22 and 41 would work out in the best possible manner- better, in fact, than with the 18th July A.D. 1108 as the commencement of his reign, because on the equivalent here found for the date No. 22 the nakshatra really was Ardrâ, whereas on the equivalent previously given for the same date the nakshatra was found to be Punarvasu (instead of the nakshatra Ardrâ, quoted by the original date).
To the date No. 10 I shall have to revert below. For the present it will be sufficient to state that, irrespectively of No. 10, the four dates Nos. 21, 22, 41 and 42 for the commencement of the reign appear to yield some day between approximately the 28th May and the 31st July A.D. 1118. The new dates of Vikrama-Chôla may be expected to shew whether his reign really commenced at the time here given or on the 18th July A.D. 1108.
8.
57. In the Tyagaraja temple at Tiruvarur.! [Tribhuvana Joha[kr]vatti[gl]
3
[i-Vikrama]-Ch[6]|[dévarkku
y]ânḍu añjavadu Midhuna-nayarr[u pârvva]-paksha [t]tu pa[ñchami]y[u]m Magamum perra Vilya]la-[kk]ilamai-nål.
"In the fifth year (of the reign) of the emperor of the three worlds, the glorious Vikrama-Chôladêve, on a Thursday which corresponded to (the day of) Magha and to the fifth tithi of the first fortnight of the month of Mithuna."
If the king's reign commenced on the 18th July A.D. 1108, this date would correspond to Thursday, the 19th June A.D. 1118, which was the 26th day of the month of Mithuna, and on which the 5th tithi of the bright half (of the month Ashadha) commenced 5 h. 15 m., and the nakshatra was Maghs, by the equal space system only, for 7 h. 53 m., after mean sunrise.
On the other hand, if the reign commenced between the 28th May and the 31st July A.D. 1118, the date must correspond to Thursday, the 31st May A.D. 1123, which was the 6th day
1 No. 164 of the Government Epigraphist's collection for 1894. Another date, which occurs in line 3 of the same inscription, was published above, Vol. IV. p. 73, No. 10.
B2