About The Year

The precise year in the Christian Era of the Grant of the capital city of Nadavaram to the Nandavariks by ‘Nandana Chakravarthy’ has been eluding the attempts made so far. This could not been be determined with certainty. The particulars mentioned in the legend are that it was granted 980 years after the advent of ‘Kaliyuga’ in theHindu cyclic year of ‘Vilambi’ on a Monday – ‘thithi’ ‘Amavasya’, Solar eclipse. The efforts made in this direction, however, have led to some tentative conclusions of years and dates. Extensive references were made to the ‘Indian Ephimaries’, a monumental workd of the great ephemarist, Dewan Bhadur Swamikannu Pillai and other sources of broader study of ‘Indian Chronology’ and the monumental volumes of ‘History and Culture of the Indian People’ written by a team of distinguished Historians headed and edited by prof. R.C. Majumdar (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Series – published in 1951). Studies relating to the determination of the eyars of the Mahabharatha war, the advent of kaliyuga, the reckonings of the ‘Salivahana Sakha’, the Yudishtira Sakha’ and the Christian era etc., were also made in some measure in this connection. The ‘Mahabharatha’ by J.A.B. Van Buitenen of the University of Chicago and the several Epigraphicae – such as India, Andhrica and Karnatica and other books and reference media were also referred to extensively. With all this back-ground of study, the details of the year of the grant made available in the legend in Sanskrit slokas in old palm-life Mss., the nearest regular date of the grant appears to be 1059 A.D. – February 15, Monday, when the ‘Saka’ year was 980 cyclic year – Vilambi’ mont – ‘Magha’ ‘Amavasya’ Monday and the Nakshatra – ‘Satabhisha’. This is arrived at on the assumption that ‘ VYOMA-EBHA-RANDHRAH’ ie., 980, the Cyclic year ‘Vilambi’ is of ‘Saka’ Era. This date of grant is by no means claimed to be accurate, not is it sought to be commaded for categrocal acceptance. To confirm or pin-point the accurate date and year of of Grant, it would need further strenuous efforts and mental exercises. The basic year, however, may be reckoned as 1059 A.D. and the date as 15-02-1059 A.D. which appears to be fairly acceptable form all considerations and studies made so far. It is left open for acceptance of any other year and date more compatible and consistent, if and when advanced in the future, with adequate reasoning and deliberation. However, the determination of the date is a challenging task by no means easy.

Source: A Treatise on Nandavariks by Rayasam Viswanatha Rao