Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c19: XIV.—Chedi, or Kalâchuri-Samvat
Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c19
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XIV.—Chedi, or Kalâchuri-Samvat
c19.1
THERE is a considerable number of inscriptions of the Kalâchuri Rajas of Chedi, with various dates from S. 792 to S. 934, which, from the style of their characters, as well as from the names of other kings mentioned in them, cannot possibly be referred to the era of Vikrama. The actual name of the era was discovered by Mr. Beglar in several inscriptions from the district of Raypur to the east of Nâgpur. In some it is named the Chedi-Samvat, and in others the Kalâchuri-Samvat. All the then available dates have been discussed in my account of the Kalâchuri inscriptions.[*] From these I deduced that the initial point of the era must have been A.D. 249, “as that year gives the correct week days by computation for four of the recorded dates.” Since then I have been able to correct two of the discrepant dates noticed in my account, while I have myself found two new dates. As all of these give the correct week day when calculated from the initial point of 249 A.D. = 0, and 250 = 1, I feel satisfied that this is the true starting point of the Chedi era.
c19.2
During my late tour in the Central Provinces I obtained the two new inscriptions of the Kalâchuri or Chedi-Samvat already mentioned. The date of the earlier one is given as Samvat 866, Mârga-Sudi 9, Ravau, or “Sunday the 9th of the waxing moon of Mârga, 866.” Taking my previously ascertained starting point of the era in A.D. 250 = 1, the date will be 866 + 249 = A.D. 1115, in which year Jyeshta was intercalary, and the 9th of Mârga-Sudi fell on a Sunday.
c19.3
The date of the second inscription is Samvat 934, Kârttika-Sudi 5, Budhe, or “Wednesday the 5th of the waxing moon of Kârttika in the year 934.” Adding 249 to 934 we get the year A.D. 1183, in which the 15th of Kârttika-Sudi was a Wednesday.
c19.4
∗ Archæological Survey of India, IX, 112, et ante.
c19.5
One of the discrepant dates, noted in my previous account, was that of the Benares inscription of Karna Deva, which I gave as "Samvat 793, Phâlgun-Badi 9th Monday." But as the 9th of Phâlgun-Badi in 793 + 249 = A.D. 1142 was a Sunday, I have come to the conclusion that I may perhaps have misread 793 for 792.
c19.6
This conclusion was suggested to me by the fact that Wilford read the unit as 2, and that the 9th of Phâlguna-Badi in the preceding year, or 792 + 249 = A.D. 1141, was actually a Monday.
c19.7
The other correction is in the day of the month in the year 898, which I read as Aswina-Sudi 7, instead of Aswina-Sudi 2, which a fresh examination has shown it to be. As the 7th was a Saturday (as noted in my previous account), the 2nd was of course a Monday, as stated in the inscription. We have thus got no less than eight dates, all which agree in placing the initial point of the Chedi or Kalâchuri era in A.D. 249—the year 250 being reckoned as 1.
c19.8
There are three inscriptions which give the name of "Kalâchuri-Samvat," dated respectively in 896, 898, and 910, but the first two only name the week day. Two other inscriptions, dated in 919 and 933, give the name of "Chedi-Samvat," but they do not give the week days.
c19.9
The initial point of the Chedi or Kalâchuri-Samvat is therefore satisfactorily established by the eight following inscriptions, in which the calculated week days agree exactly with the recorded ones:—
c19.10
| INSCRIPTION. | CHEDI S. | A. D. | |
| Benares | ... | 792 | 1041 | Phâlgun-Badi 9, Monday. |
| Nâgpur museum | ... | 866 | 1115 | Mârga-Sudi 9, Sunday. |
| Rajim | ... | 896 | 1145 | Mâgha-Sudi 8, Wednesday. |
| Seorinârâyan | ... | 898 | 1147 | Aswina-Sudi 2, Monday. |
| Tewar | ... | 902 | 1151 | Ashâdha-Sudi 1, Sunday. |
| Bhera-Ghât | ... | 907 | 1156 | Mârgasiras-Sudi, Sunday. |
| Bhera-Ghât | ... | 928 | 1177 | Mâgha-Badi 10, Monday. |
| Sahaspur | ... | 934 | 1183 | Kârttika-Sudi 5, Wednesday. |
c19.11
I must mention, however, that there are two other inscriptions in which the calculated week day differs by one day from that recorded. These are—
c19.12
| Bharhut | ... | 909 | 1158 | Srâvana-Sudi 5, Wednesday, comes out Thursday. |
| Tewar | ... | 928 | 1177 | Srâvana-Sudi 6, Sunday, comes out Monday. |
c19.13
The Rajas of Chedi are mentioned in the inscriptions of the neighbouring kings from A.D. 520 downwards. But the earliest Prince mentioned in their own inscriptions is Kokalla I., the contemporary of Bhoja of Kanauj, whose dates we know to have ranged from A.D. 875 to 900. From his time down to the close of the dynasty, the Kalâchuri Princes played a principal part in the history of Central India. Their capital was at Tripura, now Tewar, six miles to the west of Jabalpur. But there was an eastern branch of the family which ruled at Ratanpur, of whom very little is at present known. A list of the Rajas of this family is given in the Gazetteer of the Central Provinces. Some of the names correspond with those found in the inscriptions; but the dates are all wrong, as they have been referred to the Samvat of Vikramâditya, instead of to the local Chedi era of the country.