Indian Antiquary Vol 19

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 16

10
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1890.
there has been a distinct difference of opinion as to the manner in which the dates given in them should be applied. The date on which the pillar was set up to record the making of the grant, is given as "in the fifth glorious year, of the constantly augmenting reign of Mangaléśa), in the current Siddhartha (sarivatsara), on the full-moon tithi of the month) Vaisakha.' The text of the whole passage is perfectly clear; and the details are unmistak. able. But here I should state that, when first I drafted my remarks on this date, finding that in no way could the Siddhartha or Siddharthin samvatsara of the Sixty-Year Cycle of Jupiter be made to meet with the fifth year of Mangalêśa's reign according to either of the views based on the other two records referred to above, I was disposed to think that the word siddharthé, in line 15, suggestive as it was of the samvatsara so named, had not really that application, but was simply used as an epithet of varshé, and in some such meaning as 'full of success or prosperity.' Prof. Kielhorn, however, to whom I had referred several points of doubt and interest in this record, has given me the opinion that, if the names of the years of the SixtyYear Cycle were well known and were in general use in the period in question, - (which was more or less undoubtedly the case), the writer of the record would not be likely to use the word, in such a passage, in an altogether unusual and objectionable sense, when he must have known that it would naturally be taken as denoting the sainvatsara, and when he could easily have avoided all ambiguity by selecting any other adjective that would express his meaning much better; and that, if the reading siddharthé is correct, (which it certainly is), - the word can only denote the sanatsara. And, on reconsideration, I have fully adopted this view of the matter. Now, no reference is made to any era. But the period of the present record is determined by the fact that Mangaléśa's nephew and successor, Palikesin II., commenced to reign in or about 'Saka-Samvat 533 current. Just before that year, the Siddhartha samvat. sara occurred, or would occur, as follows:-(1) by the southern luni-solar system, if then in use, it would coincide with Saka-Samvat 522 current; (2) by the mean-sign system it would commence in Saka-Samvat 524 current, on Wednesday, 25th October, A.D. 601, and would end in Saka-Samvat 525 current, on Sunday, 21st October A.D. 602; and (3) by the northern luni-solar system, if then in use and applicable to that part of the country, it would coincide with Saka-Samvat 525 current. Of these three systems, the only one that can be applied for the period and locality to which the present record belongs (see ante, Vol. XVII. p. 142), is the mean-sign system, according to which the saivatsara lasted from the 25th October, A.D.. 601 to the 21st October, A.D. 602. During this period, the given tithi, Vaisakha sukla 15, belonging to Saka-Samvat 525 current, ended on Thursday, 12th April, A.D. 802, at about 13 ghatis, 50 palas, after mean sunrise (for Bombay). And this is undoubtedly the day that answers to the details given in the original record for the setting up of the pillar. From this it follows that, as the full-moon of Vaisakha, Saka-Samvat 525 current, fell in the fifth year of his reign, the fall-moon of Vaisakha, Saka-Samvat 521 current, fell in his first year; and consequently the accession of Mangalôba took place, on some day still to be exactly determined, in A.D. 497 or 498; either on any day from the púrnimánta Jyêshtha krishọa 1 of Saka-Samvat 520 current, up to the end of that year; or on any day from the beginning of Saka-Samvat 521 current, up to Vaisakha sukla 15 of that year.
The date thus obtained for the commencement of Mangalêsa's reign, differs materially from that deduced from either of the other two dated records of the same period, spoken of above, and some remarks are now necessary in connection with them. The earlier of thera, and the first that came to notice, is the Badami cave inscription, published originally by Prof. Eggeling (ante, Vol. III. p. 305 f., with a lithograpb) and subsequently re-edited by me (ante, Vol. VI. p. 363, with a lithograph in Vol. X. p. 58), which records that, in the twelfth regnal
• Both forms of the name occur. The present form, Siddhartha, is the one used in the Brihat-Salihita, viii. 48, 40, Korn's edition.
Or the amanta Vaikkha. I quote, however, the purniminta month, because that is the correct arrangement for the period in question; see ante, Vol. XVII. pp. 141, 142.