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NOVEMBER, 1896.] ON THE DATES OF THE SAKA ERA IN INSCRIPTIONS.
three (the date of S. 872 and the dates of S. 1080 and 1084) wrongly quote, not merely eclipses, but also saṁkrântis. Moreover, what may be noted as suspicious, is, that in seven of these dates that give a weekday the day with a single exception is Monday.57
Of the lunar eclipses quoted in the remaining 25 dates all were visible in India,58 excepting the eclipse of the date No. 164 of S. 411 current (Vol. XXIV. p. 10), which is from a spurious copper-plate. But of the dates with visible eclipses the weekday again is wrongly given as Monday in the three dates Nos. 157-159 of S. 1145,60 1148 and 1483 (ibid. pp. 8 and 9) The result is, that all lunar eclipses which are correctly quoted in genuine dates were visible in India.
Samkrântis.
Samkrântis are mentioned in 47 dates: the Uttarayana-samkrânti in 38 dates, the Dakshinâyana-samkranti in 5 dates, a Vishuva-samkrânti in two dates, and unspecified samkrântis in two other dates.
The Uttarayana-samkranti. Of the 38 dates which mention the Uttarayana or Makarasamkranti, 6 give no details for verification, and in 11 other dates the samkrânti is quoted quite incorrectly. Two of these 11 dates (Nos. 168 and 173 of S. 251 and 872, Vol. XXIV. pp. 11 and 12) are from undoubtedly spurious inscriptions. The date of S. 872 and the date No. 177 of S. 108000 of the chronological list also mention, together with the sam krânti, a lunar eclipse, equally wrongly. In the date No. 355 of S. 1483 of the chronological list the Makara-samkrânt is joined with Chaitra-sudi 5, on which no samkrânti of any sort took place during the giveni year. The other quite incorrect dates are Nos. 177, 178 and 185 of S. 941, 94460 and 1060 (Vol. XXIV. pp. 13 and 14), and the dates of the chronological list No. 111 of S. 957, No. 122 of S. 984,00 No. 130 of S. 997, and No. 175 of S. 1079. It may be noted that the weekday of 10 out of these 11 incorrect dates is again either Sunday or Monday.
Of the remaining 21 dates six contain errors which may be corrected with some confidence. Two dates (Nos. 147 and 148 of S. 902 and 966, Vol. XXIV. p. 6) apparently quote wrong tithis, and three (Nos. 151-153 of S. 984, 993 and 997,01 ibid. p. 7) wrong weekdays.03 And in the date No. 156 of S. 1141 currents (ibid. p. 8), in which the Uttarayana-samkrânti is connected with Magha-sudi 7, either the month and the weekday are incorrect, or, and this now appears to me more probable, the Uttarayana-samkrânti has been wrongly quoted instead of the Kumbha-samkrânti.
There remain thus only 15 dates (out of 32), in which the Uttarayana-samkrânti apparently has been quoted with quite correct details. And here we find that in no less than 13 cases the samkranti took place during the tithi quoted by the date, viz., six times (in the dates Nos. 13, 14, 23, 70 and 9065 in Vol. XXIII. pp. 115-128, and in the date No. 212 of the chronological list) on the given weekday on which the tithi also ended or which was wholely occupied by the tithi; once (in the date No. 6, ibid. p. 114), where no weekday is given, on the day on which the tithi ended; four times (in the dates Nos. 123-125, Vol. XXIV. p. 1, and in the date
56 These two dates contain the term vyattpåta, spoken of above.
57 The taking place of a lunar eclipse on a Monday is called chudamani, crest-jewel,' and donations on such an occasion are highly meritorious.
se They were visible also at the particular places where the inscriptions which mention them come from. The eclipse of the date No. 3 of 3. 765 expired (Vol. XXIII. p. 113) was visible in Java and in India.
69 This date also contains the term vyatipata.
eo These dates contain the term vyatipata.
61 This date, again, contains the term vyatipata.
63 The days, given by the dates, here also are Sunday and Monday.
es This date, also, contains the term vyatipata.
64 In S. 1141 current the Kumbha-samkranti took place 5 h. 86 m. after mean sunrise of Thursday, the 24th January A. D. 1219, during the 7th tithi of the bright half of MAgha which ended 7 h, 56 m, after mean sunrise of the same day.
es On Saturday, the 25th December A. D. 1201, the Uttarayana-samkranti took place, by the Surya-siddhanta, 3 h, 54 m. (not 4 h. 59 m.) after mean sunrise.
