________________
FEBRUARY, 1896.)
MISCELLANEA.
53
thought of his approaching end rather unmanned him, though he had tried to banish in pleasure the terrors of death) :
“I am to be taken to the gellows to-morrow, and you are jubilant in spirit? Your happy countenance, your dress and ornaments, are visible signs of it - as if I were to retain with you for many a long year and not for a day only."
“Oh dear lord," she cried, " do not be sorrowful. There is now no cause for sorrow, for God has removed it from us. Take your meal and satisfy yourself, and I shall explain all." So replied the wife, and after ministering to her husband's wants, she told hiin how she had in & miraculous manner come by the pearl. She shewed it to him. He was overjoyed and thanked God.
On the last day for the production of the pearl, the Raja's servants came to the minister's mansion with the message that his presence was required at court. The minister, however, was in no hurry, but about four o'clock in the afternoon, after taking a nap and a light meal, he went to court, and on the king's asking for the pearl, "Here it is," said the minister, producing the valuable shell. He then left the court abruptly to the great chagrin of the bad-hearted king, and not only that, he left the kingdom to seek his fortune elsewhere.
MISCELLANEA. DATES OF THE KOLLAM OR KOLAMBA ERA. with the day on which the sun enters a sign of MR. P. SUNDARAM PILLAI of Trivandrum has
the Zodiac, whenever this sankranti takes place,
according to the Arya-siddhanta, within about asked me to test the dates of the inscriptions, con.
7 h. 20 m. (or about 18 ghatikas) after mean tained in his pamphlet on Some Early Sovereigns
sunrise;' but when the sankranti takes place of Travancore, and has sent me for examination a number of other dates from inscriptions which
later in the day, the new month only com
mences with the following day. According to he is preparing for publication. I have the more readily complied with his request, because all
the Trivandrum calendar, the year 1069 of which
comprises the time from the 15th August A. D. these dates belong to the Kollam or Kolamba era, of which few dates with sufficient details for
1893 to the 15th August A. D. 1894 (both days verification have been hitherto available; and I
inclusive), the year begins with the month of publish the results of my calculations, because
Simha (the solar Bhadrapada); but according to they tend to shew that the materials, 80 zealously
the Calicut calendar, the year 1065 of which corcollected by Mr. Pillai, may be confidently used
responds to the period from the 15th September for historical purposes.
A. D. 1889 to the 15th September A. D. 1890
(both days inclusive), it begins with the month of My knowledge of the Kollam andu or Kolam- Kanya (the solar Asvina). The calendars thus ba varsha is chiefly derived from a Trivandrum shew that when, for purposes of calculation, we calendar for the year 1069, kindly furnished to have to convert a given year of the Kollam era me by the Dewan of Travancore, and a Calicut into an expired year of the Kaliyuga, we must calendar for the year 1065, for which I am indebted add 3925 for the months from Simha to Mina (or, to Dr. Hultzsch. These calendars shew that the according to the Calicut calendar, from Kanyi to Kollam year is a solar year, the twelve months of Mina), and 39:26 for the remaining months; that, which are named after the signs of the Zodiac. for converting a Kollam year into an expired Saka According to both calendars, a new month begins year, the corresponding figures are 746 and 747;
1 This is actually the case in all the dates given below is counted as the last day of the preceding month. In except the date No. 8.
the date No. 8, below (the same date in which the month In the Trivandrum calendar a day on which the is called by the Tamil name Tai), a day, on which the sankranti takes place 6 h. 59 m. after mean sunrise is sam krunti took place 8 h. 5 m. after mean sunrise, has counted as the first day of the month, and another day been counted as the first day of the month (in accordance on which the suhkránti takes place 8 h. 41 m. after mean with the practice of the Tamil calendars, by which a sunrise is counted as the last day of the preceding month. day is reckoned as the first day of the month, when thu Similarly, in the Calicut calendar a day on which the savikranti takes place within 12 hours after mean sarh kranti takes place 6 h. 9 m. after mean Banrise is sunr counted as the first day of the month, and a day on which Compare Dr. Buchanan's Journey through Mysore, the sankranti takes place 7 h. 51 m, after mean sunrise Vol. II. p. 355.
