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No. 8] KALIDINDI GRANT OF EASTERN CHALUKYA RAJARAJA I 61 extend the reign of Vimalāditya up to the date of the coronation of Rājarāja, taking it for granted that Rājarāja's accession to the throne did not take place earlier than the actual date of his coronation as recorded in his grante.
However, there is good reason to believe that the reign of Rajaraja I began a few years earlier than the date of his coronation in 1022 A. C. Saktivarman II, the nephew and immediate Successor of Rājarāja I, ascended the throne of Vēngi on Thursday, 18th October 1061 A. C.1 Rājarāja is said to have ruled, according to the charters of his descendants, for a period of 41 years and this is corroborated by an inscription dated in his 41st regnal year. This yields 18th October, 1020 as the starting point of his reign. The following inscriptions of Rājarāja I, which give both the regnal and the Saka years, point to the same date.
Ins. No
Date
183 of 1893 (8.1.1., Vol. IV, No. 1008)
663 of 1920 671 of 1920
Saka 969-regnal year 26 Saka 980—regnal year 37 Saka 988-regnal year 41
Starting point
$. 943 $. 943
Š. 942
These records seem to suggest two different starting points for the reign of Rājarāja. The apparent discrepancy has perhaps to be attributed to the practice of quoting the Saka dates, either in the expired or in the current year, rather than to any fault in the chronological data given in these records. Of the three, the last one is surely dated in Saka 983 expired, as shown by the cyclic year Plava corresponding to it. The dates of the other two are not capable of verification, as the corresponding cyclio years are not given. If, however, the Saka year cited in them be taken to be current, all these three dates would yield Saka 942 (expired) as the starting point of the reign of Rajarāja I and this is in agreement with the evidence of the Telugu Academy plates of Sakti - varman II which terminate Rājarāja's reign with Saka 983. There is, however, one inscription which gives a different and an earlier date as the starting point. In the Pāmulaväka plates of Vijayāditya VII, it is said that after Mummadi-Bhima (i.e., Vimalāditya), his son Räjarāja ruled for a period of twelve years; then, Vijayāditya, Mummadi-Bhima's second son by a different mother, expelled Rajaraja, and having seized the kindgom crowned himself king on Aditisutadina, śu. di. 5, Karkataka, Kanya, Sūryyabha(Uttara-Phalguni or Pūrva-Phalguni) in the Saka year 952, corresponding to Sunday, 27th June 1031 A. C. If Rajaraja I, as stated in this inscrip
1 JAHRS, Vol. V, p. 40. * No. 671 of 1920 of the Mad. Epi. Coll.
JAHRS, Vol. V, p. 44.
• JAHRS, Vol. II, p. 284. According to the calculation of Mr. B. V. Krishna Rao, the date of Vijayiditya's coronation given in the record corresponds to Thursday, 9th July, 1030 A.C. (JAHRS, Vol. V, p. 88); but he does not explain how Aditinuladina can be taken to denote Thursday and how the nakahatra denotes Hasta. The date has been calculated afresh, at my request, by Mr. K. G. Sankar of the Imperial Library, Caloutta, and the details of his caloulation as communioated to me in a letter dated 11.11.1941 are given below:
Sake drig-ishu-nidhi-mité = 8. 952 = 1030-31 A. C. Karkige Karkas-atsau = Sun in Karka (June-July). buddha-panchami = $u. 8. Aditisuta dina = Sunday. Soryyabhë - Uttara Phalgunl (Aryamans) or Parva-Phalgunt (Bhaga).
Kanya-lagne = Kanya-lagna = 10 A.M. to 12 noon. These details correspond regularly to Sunday, 27th June, 1031 A.C.; on that day. Au. 8 ended-at.87 of the day and Uttara-Phalgunt began at .48 of the day after the Pärva-Phalgunt ended. At 10-12 A.M. tho tithi and the naleshatra current were bukla and Pärva-Phalgunl..
