The date of the Andhavaram Plates of Ganga Indravarman III
Summary
The paper critiques earlier interpretations of copper plates issued by Ganga king Indravarman III, discovered at Andhavaram in Andhra Pradesh. The plates commemorate a grant on the amāvasyā (new moon) of Śravaṇa and record a date with both words and numerals. N. Ramesan read the words as ‘year 133’ and used this with another set of plates from Chicacole (dated year 127) to argue that the Ganga era began in A.D. 434. This article challenges that reading, noting that the phrase ‘trimsatyadhike’ means ‘augmented by thirty’ and should refer to year 130 or 131 rather than 133. The numerals on the plates are ambiguous; the author argues they more likely represent 100 + 30 + 1 (131) than 133. He examines the shapes of the digits and compares them with other Ganga inscriptions. Astronomical tables show that if the year is 131, a solar eclipse occurred in Śravaṇa of A.D. 565/566, matching the grant; a lunar eclipse recorded in the Chicacole plates for year 127 would fall in A.D. 561 if the era began in A.D. 434. Therefore, the Andhavaram plates do not conclusively fix the era; they may be two years earlier than Ramesan proposed. The author calls for more careful reading of numerals and cautions against adjusting words to fit preconceived chronologies.
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Conclusion
By re‑examining the numerals and phrasing of the Andhavaram grant, the article suggests that year 131, not 133, is intended. This minor adjustment shifts the dating of Indravarman III’s plates and complicates the claim that the Ganga era began in A.D. 434. More systematic study of Ganga‑era inscriptions and astronomical events is needed to refine the chronology of this dynasty.