Indian Epigraphy c15.t10: 5. Nevārī Era and other Reckonings of Nepāl

Indian Epigraphy c15.t10

Language: English

5. Nevārī Era and other Reckonings of Nepāl

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⁴ Ojha, Bhāratīya Prācīn Lipimālā, pp. 180-81; Cunningham, Indian Eras, p. 74; below, pp. 187-88.

According to the Nepalese Vamśāvalī examined by Bhagwanlal Indraji, the Newārī or Nepāl era was introduced by king Jayadevamalla, son of king Abhayamalla of the second Ṭhākurī dynasty, though Cunningham speaks of king Rāghavadeva as the founder of the era. Jayadevamalla had his headquarters at Kāntipura and Lalitapaṭṭana while his younger brother Ānandamalla was ruling from Bhaktapura or Bhatgaon.

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They were both driven out by the Karṇāṭa chief Nānyadeva who conquered Nepal on Śrāvaṇa-sudi 7 in Śaka 811 corresponding to the year 9 of the Nevārī era.¹ The rulers of Nepal were at first using the Śaka era and then Amśuvarman’s era,² and it appears that Jayadevamalla’s regnal reckoning was given the character of an era by the people who did not prefer the Śaka era re-introduced by the Karṇāṭa conqueror.

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¹ Ind. Ant., Vol. XIII, p. 414.

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² The inscriptions of Mānadeva and his successors including the earlier records of Amśuvarman are dated in the Śaka era (Select Inscriptions, p. 866, note 1). But the later epigraphs of Amśuvarman and his successors bear dates in the Śaka era minus 500, i. e. Śaka 501 = year 1 of Amśuvarman’s regnal reckoning, as we shall see below (p. 297)

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The Vamśāvali tradition referred to above, gives the difference between the Vikrama and the Nevārī era as 937 years, while Dāmodara-bhaṭṭa’s Navaratna, completed on Monday, Maghā-nakṣatra, Mārgaśira-vadi 8, in Śaka 1607 and Nevārī 806?, gives the difference between the Śaka and Nevārī eras as 801 ? years.³ According to Kielhorn’s calculations, the Nevārī era started on the 20th October 879 A. D., i. e. Caitrādi Vikrama 936, Kārttika-sudi 1.⁴

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³ H. P. Sastri, Catalogue of Palm-leaf and Selected Paper Mss., p. 195.

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⁴ Ind. Ant., Vol. XVII, p. 246.

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The months are Amānta and the years are generally expired. If 878-879 is added to the years of the Nevārī or Nepāl era, we get those of the Christian era. The era is still prevalent in Nepal, though the Śaka era has also been popular since the Gorkha conquest of the country in 1768 A.D.