Indian Antiquary Vol 20

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

Page 22

14
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1891.
to a system of years commencing with the Chaitra śukla 1 of Saka-Samvat 586 current, as they do to an initial point ranging from the preceding Phâlguna śukla 1 to the tithi śukla 10 of the same Chaitra ; and the narrowness of the limits, on either side of Chaitra śukla 1, within which the initial point must lie, seems in itself rather suggestive. Again, a still more pointed inference might possibly be drawn from the Chipurupalle grant of Vishnuvardhana I.; the date of which adapts itself just as well to a system of years commencing with the Chaitra śukla 1 of Saka-Samvat 538 current, as it does to an initial point lying in the next following month, Vaisakha. In this date, the details are "the year 18, the month 4, the day 15." The actual month is Sravana, which is really the fifth month in the luni-solar year; and the actual day is the full-moon day, which is really the thirtieth day in its own month by the purnimanta arrangement of the fortnights, which is the proper one for the period in question. But, if the first month of the year is to be taken as a full month of twenty-nine or thirty days, i. e. if, instead of consisting only of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, it is to be taken as including also the dark fortnight of the purnimanta Vaisakha, then, the following months also being treated, in the same way, the full-moon day of Sravana is the fifteenth day in the fifth month. And the details of the date in question, might be interpreted as meaning "the year 18, or 18 years;21 4 completed months; and the completion of the tithi ending on the 15th civil day of the next and current month." Accordingly, while I am not to be understood as adopting finally, as yet, such a system of regnal years, which is for the present only a possibility, I present, on the upper part of page 13 above, an alternative list of the Eastern Chalukya kings, based on the adoption of Chaitra sukla 1 as the first day of each regnal year, and giving the current 'Saka years which may be taken as the first and last years of each successive reign. The assumptions involved are, (1) that the whole of the luni-solar year in which the accession, or at any rate the coronation, of any particular king took place, would be usually counted as the first year of bis reign, and that his second year would begin with the Chaitra śukla 1 next after his accession or coronation; (2) that there would be exceptions, in the cases of accessions taking place very late in the luni-solar year; suppose, for instance, that a king actually succeeded to the throne in Mâgha or Phalguna; in searching for an auspicious day for the ceremony, his coronation would very possibly be postponed till after the next Chaitra sukla I; and it is most likely that his first regnal year would then ran from that Chaitra śukla 1, and would not include the luni-solar year in which his actual accession took place; (3) that, from time to time, one and the same luni-solar year would come to be counted twice over, as the last regnal year of one king, and as the first regnal year of his successor; especially when a change of rulers took place about the middle of a luni-solar year; and (4) that the close proximity to Chaitra śukla 1 of Saka-Samvat 586 current, of the limits within which the first day of the first regnal year of Vishnuvardhana II. must lie, indicates that that day itself was the initial day of his reign, according to this system of regnal years coinciding with the luni-solar years. The mauner in which, by this more rough and ready method of regulating the details, the last year of one reign and the first year of the next must have occasionally coincided, makes it easy enough now to admit forty-eight years as the duration of the reign of Vijayaditya II. And accordingly, on the chance that that record may be the correct one, in this alternative arrangement I have taken his reign at that length; and the Saka years have been counted twice over in passing from Nos. 6 to 8, 8 to 9, 10 to 11, 11 to 12, 12 to 13, 13 to 14, and 22 to 23. In all other respects, the lengths of the reigns are the same as in the first list. Even this system, of luni-solar regnal years, does not permit of allowing more than thirty years for the reign of Jayasimha I. For, though Saka-Samvat 555 oarrent should be counted as the first year of his reign, in addition to being the eighteenth and last year of Vishnuvar
"I do not mean "eighteen expired years;" as, whatever may be the Hindu practice in respect of eras, I cannot. and reasons for looking with favour on a system of expired regnal years. Such a system might be created, by counting "the year one" from the Chaitra fukla 1 next after the day of accession or of coronation; and the year would be practically "the year one, expired:" the real first current year being that in which the accession or coronation actually took place. But the idea is too much opposed to common sense to be acceptable, without absolute proof, which, for the present at any rate, is not forthcoming.