The first Indian epigraphical reference to Halley’s comet has been found in a copper plate inscription dated 1456 CE belonging to the Vijayanagara interval and preserved on the Srisailam Mallikarjunaswamy temple in Andhra Pradesh.
Sri Mallikarjunaswamy temple at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.
Dr. Ok. Munirathnam Reddy, Director, Epigraphy Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who introduced the invention, advised The Hindu that the inscription is written in Sanskrit, utilizing Nagari script, and refers to the looks of a comet and a subsequent meteor bathe — occasions that traditionally coincide with the 1456 look of Halley’s comet.
The inscription information a grant made by the Vijayanagara ruler Mallikarjuna to a Vedic scholar on Śaka 1378, Dhātru Āshāḍha ba. 11, corresponding to Monday, June 28, 1456 CE.
The grant was issued ‘in order to mitigate the great calamity believed to arise due to the appearance of a comet (dhūmakētu mahōtpāta śāntyartham), and the associated meteor shower (Prakāśyāya mahōtpāta śāntyartham)’, mentioned Mr. Munirathnam.
The king donated a village named Simgapura, positioned in Kelajhasima of Hastinavati Vemṭhe, as an agrahāra to a Brahmana named Limgaṇarya, a Vedic scholar from Kaḍiyalapura. Dr. Reddy mentioned this place might be present-day Kaḍiyapulanka in Galividu mandalam, Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh, and famous that the scholar was in all probability well-versed in astronomy.
Dr. Munirathnam famous that whereas references to dhumaketus (comets) are present in historical and medieval Indian texts, that is the first inscriptional document that has been found.
“What makes this particularly significant,” he mentioned, “is that the year mentioned in the inscription and the reference to the comet’s appearance matches the year in which Halley’s comet was later established to have appeared,” mentioned Mr.Munirathnam.
He defined that in conventional perception techniques and from the out there historic information, the looks of a comet and meteor bathe was thought of inauspicious, and related to misfortune and calamities in lots of elements of the world.
Mr. Reddy mentioned the looks of the comet and the beliefs surrounding it are vividly expressed within the inscription within the phrase: Prakāśyāya mahōtpāta śāntyartham dattavān vibhuḥ — that means: this grant was made so as to pacify the calamities which will come up due to the illuminating comets and meteor bathe upon the king and his kingdom.
The discovery of reference to comets within the inscription was made in the course of the important ’line by line’ modifying of a set of 21 unpublished copper plate charters held by the Srisailam temple authorities. The assortment, comprising 78 copper leaves, will quickly be revealed in e-book type, he added.
Published – June 20, 2025 10:45 am IST
