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OOTORER, 1924]
KOTTAYAM PLATE OF VIPA-PACEAVA (HARPAVART
223
PÅRKARA IRAVI VARMAR II.
A.D.
K.Y. Month and date. Regnal year or age.
Jupiter.
Inscription.
571
3671 Minam 8
577
3678 Tulam
.. 8th14 regnal year cur. Tulâm (7th rasi).. Tirunelli plate No. 2 rent.
T. A. S. II, p. 31. .. 13th regnal year ex. Itavam (2nd rasi). . Tirukoittanam inpired.
scription (Ibid., p.
36). .. 21et regnal year ex. Kumpam (11th Tirukkâkkara inscrippired.
råsi).
tion (Ibid., p. 41). 31st regnal year ex. Dhanu (9th râsi) ..! Do. (Ibid., p. 43).
pired.
586-6 3686 Makaram
595
3696 Vršchikam
Thus there can be no doubt as to the dates of P&rkara Iravi Varmar. That two inscridtions, baving only two dates, each suitable to the given Astronomical positions during a period of fourteen centuries, should have one date each to fall in the same century by chance, is quite unthinkable. That these dates should chance to be such as to reconcile nine dates of Perkara Iravi, given in inscriptions with the positions of Jupiter, as being the dates of two kings who ruled one after the other, is still more inconceivable.
Tiruvalla Temple Plates.-There is another set of copper plates belonging to the temple at Tiruvalla now preserved in the Trivandrum Museum. They have heen rooently published in the Travancore Archeological Series, Vol. II, part 3, under the name of the Huzur Treasury plates. Gopinatha Rao says that these plates are of the time of Parkara Travi on the grond that the king Manukulátichohan is mentioned as a donor both in these plates and in an inscription of the time of Pårkara Iravi. There is one more piece of presuraptive evidence supporting this opinion. The king of Venpoli Nåtu mentioned in these plates is Iravi Chiri Kantan and Kotai Chiri Kantan, king of Venpoli Natu, is mentioned in the Cochin plates of Pårkara Iravi Varmar. The name of the king is the same in both the inscriptions. The full name is different. This king being a Marumakkattayi, Kotai and Iravi are the names of maternal uncles. Perhaps he might bave some times oalled himself Kotai Chiri Kantan and some times Iravi Chiri Kantan. In these plates Oertain Astronomical positions are given.
The day of Višaka (18th asteriem) porresponding to Wednesday in the solar month Malmrom when Jupiter stood in Tulam. 6th Makaram, Kali 8669, suits the above requiremente According to the above reconciliation table, Kali 3650 or 3624 is the date of the Cochin plates. Though it is quite possible to find a day in every century for which the above date is correct, it is noteworthy that a day so close to the Cochin plates is found.
We have already proved that Vira Raghava was earlier than Pårkara Iravi Varmar who is now shown to be of the sixth century. There is only one date prior to the sixth century fulfilling the Astronomical requirements of our plate, 6th March, 230 A.D. This, therefore, must be the date of the plate under disonasion.
14 The year to given thus 2 plus 6 plus 36 = 43. I take 2 plus 8 to be the regnal year and 48 the age. He therefore moended the throne in his 35th year. This agsumption agrees with the other inscriptioca,
