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No. 22.] TINNEVELLY INSCRIPTION OF MARAVARMAN SUNDARA-PANDYA II. 165 several stages of the war of Pandya succession leading up to the accession of Märavarman SundaraPandya II :
First stage.
Parakrama-Pandya and Vira-Pandya supported Kulasekhara-Pandya aided by the Chola by the Sinhalese. Rajadhiraja II and the Kongu king Rajakesari Kulottunga and his brother.
Second stage. Earlier. Vira-Pandya and his son supported by the Sinhalese and the Chera. Later.-Maravarman Sundara-Pandya I
Third stage. Earlier.-Maravarman Sundara-Pandya 1 and Peruñjinga aided by the Sinhalese.
Later.-Maravarman Sundara-Pandya I
Maravarman Vikrama-Pandya aided by the Chōla Kulottunga III. Chōla Kulottunga III.
The Chola Rajaraja III supported by the Hoysala Narasimha II who also backed up the father of Maravarman SundaraPandya II.
Hoysala Vira-Sömesvara and Kongu Virarajendra supporting Märavarman Sundara-Pandya II and his father.
There is a peculiarity in the method of dating of the inscriptions of Maravarman SundaraPandya II. Records belonging to the first four current years of his reign are dated in the ordinary way, as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, while those belonging to the years after the completion of the 4th up to the 8th year are dated as 4+1+1st, 4+1110th day, etc., giving prominence to the expired 4th year or rather counting fresh years from the end of the fourth. Similarly, the dates of records falling after the expiry of the 8th up to the 11th year are expressed as 8th year and 215th day, 8+1+1st, 8th year and 988th day, etc., thus counting fresh years after the 8th year," while those later than the 11th year are cited as 11+1st, 11+3rd, etc. It looks as if this systematic counting of fresh regnal years after the expiry of the 4th, 8th and 11th years must have been devised to commemorate some important events that marked those fresh years in particular. What those events are is not stated anywhere. Since we know that the accession of Märavarman Sundara-Pandya II took place in A.D. 1238-9, the end of his 4th, 8th and 11th years correspond to A.D. 1242-3, 1246-7 and 1249-50. Some important events of these years are known to us. They are respectively the years of accession of Peruñjinga, RajendraChola III, and Vijaya-Gandagopala. But it will be interesting to know how they were important with reference to Maravarman Sundara-Pandya II and whether there were other important events in his own reign in these years that singled them out for the special treatment they get. It is not, however, contended that the particular events noted above singled out the years in question, i.e., the commencement of 5th, 9th and 12th years.
Nos. 307 and 312 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1927-28.
8. I. I., Vol. V, No. 734; No. 668 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1916; and Nos. 678 and 679 of the same collection for 1905.
8. I. I., Vol. V, Nos. 400, 446 and 448; and Nos. 209 and 211 of the collection for 1924.
No. 560 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1916, No. 35 of the collection for 1924 and No. 594 of
the same for 1911.
In all cases where two years are given connected by the word 'edir' the first expresses completed years and the second the current years.
