Digital Rare Book:
Some contributions of South India to Indian culture
By Sakkottai Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Published by The University of Calcutta - 1923

Book Extract:
The Chronological Datum In The LOKAVIBHAGA

The Archaeological Department of Mysore discovered a manuscript of a Digambara Jaina work named LOKAVIBHAGA of which an account is given in their report for 1909-10. The subject treated of is Jaina cosmography. The work was supposed to have been first given by word of mouth by Vardhamana himself, and is said to have been handed down through Sudharma and a succession of other teachers. Rishi Simhasuri or Simhasura made a translation of it, apparently from the Prakrit into Sanskrit. The work is said to have been finally copied some considerable time before the date of the copy (pura) by Muni Sarvanandin in the village named Patalika (Tiruppadiripuliyur; Cuddalore New Town) in 25 the Panarashtra (Bana country); then follows the date of the completion of this task. It was in the year 22 of Simhavarman, the Lord of Kanchi, and in the year 80 past 300 of the Saka year; in other words Saka 380. ' his piece of information is confirmed by two other manuscripts of the work since discovered. The late Dr. Fleet, who was suspicious of early Saka dates, after having examined the date carefully, and making a correction in respect of the month and date, has arrived at the conclusion that it is equivalent to the year A.D. 458. The Simhavarman under reference therefore must have begun to rule in A.D. 436. Unfortunately for us there are two Simhavarmans according to our genealogical table, Simhavarman I and Simhavarman II. As we have arranged it on the table three reigns come between the one and the other. It is just possible that the reference is to Simhavarman I except for the fact that Skandasishya's reign would be very long having regard to the Satya-sena datum already examined. If the Simhavarman referred to in the Penukonda plates is Simhavarman II as we have shown reasons that he was the person referred to, the Lokavibhaga was a work that was composed in the reign of Simhavarman II having regard to the fact that the Penukonda plates are datable about A.D. 475. A.D. 436 to 475 is a period of 40 years, and might be regarded long enough for the reign of two kings and of part of the reign of a third. After the Skandavarman referred to in the Penukonda plates there should have followed three rulers before we come to Mahendravarman whose date would be somewhere near A.D. 600; namely, Nandivarman, Simhavarman, the immediate successor of Nandivarman according to Velupalaiyam plates, his son Simbavishnu followed by Mahendravarman. One century might be considered too long a period for three reigns on an average computation; but there is nothing impossible about it if one had been an unusually long reign or if any two of them had been fairly long reigns. The possibility of anything like an interregnum, in which we could work in the kings and potentates associated with Karikala and intimately connected with the so-called Samgam literature, would then be obviously impossible.

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Image:
East view of the shrine, Kailasanatha Temple, Great Conjeeveram, Chingleput - 1900 Photograph of the shrine of the Kailasanatha Temple, Chingleput District, Kanchipuram, taken by a photographer of the Archaeological Survey of India around 1900-01. The holy Hindu town of Kanchipuram was the Pallava capital in the 7th and 8th centuries. The great Kailasanatha Temple was built by the ruler Rajasimha at the beginning of the 8th century. It is dedicated to Shiva and faces east. The courtyard in which the temple is situated is surrounded by smaller shrines framed by pillars rising from the heads of rampant lions, typical of the Pallava style. The sanctuary enshrining the linga is covered by a pyramidal tower. In front of it stands a hypostile pavilion (mandapa) decorated with sculptures of rearing yalis and Shaiva figures. This leads to another hall before the cell surrounded by a circumambulatory passageway.

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