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South
Indian Inscriptions |
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WESTERN CHALUKYAS
Era probably counted from some conquest
11. About the dates of these two grants there is an interesting consistency,
though the early period to which they lay claim cannot be granted. Our present grant is dated in Śaka 327, Parābhava, Vaiśākha, ba. (mistake for śu)-paurṇamāsī, Monday. The details correspond very regularly to the year Parābhava coinciding with Śaka 927-28 and the English equivalent would be Monday,
April 15, A.D. 1006. The Bangalore
plates, dated presumably in Śaka
369, Tāraṇa, Phālguṇa, ba. amā
actually vāsyā, Thursday, would appear to be dated in Śaka 966, which corresponded to Tāraṇa, and the English equivalents for the details which are quite regular in this case also would be Thursday, March 21, A.D. 1045. The alphabets
employed in both the grants fully agree with the period i.e. the 11th century
A.D., to which I have assigned them. We see then in both the cases that the
Śaka year quoted is to be increased by 60.
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What could be the reason or basis for such a consistent adoption of Saka 600 as the starting point in both the cases ? There must have happened at this time
some event which justified the introduction or adoption, even in stray cases, of
a new era, the commencement of which was assumed to be in or about Śaka
600—A. D. 678. From the Togarchēḍu plates of the Western Chāḷukya king Vinayāditya, it would appear that the king’s reign commenced in Śaka 601 (Indian
Antiquary, Vol, VI, p. 85). Almost all the genuinely dated records of this king
place his accession in the zone of Saka 600-602, and it is not impossible that some
unique event occurred at this period which was evidently looked upon as anepoch.
Vinayāditya’s well-established success over a northern king and his acquisition
of a pālidhvaja banner probably gave rise to such a land-mark. It is to be admitted, no doubt, that no such important event is emphasised in the king’s own
inscriptions. It is equally possible that his conquest of all the southern monarchs including the Trairājya-Pallava forces, at the command of his father Vikramāditya, which must have happened about this period accounted for this year
being looked upon as an important epoch (Vide Ep. Ind., Vol XXII, p. 28). It is evident that the appearance of two copper-plate grants (though apparently
spurious) dated with such plausible consistency with reference to Śaka 600 throws
some importance over that period.
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