Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

Pavithra Srinivasan avarkalukku,
With reference to your question as
to why the names of Tamil Years are in Sanskrit, instead of being in
Tamil, is a point which I too have been thinking over for quite some
time. That is the reason why I have in my posting referred to as,
TAMIL (or HINDU ??) CYCLIC OF YEARS.

Today when you refer through many books from Tamil Nadu on Festivals
of Tamil Nadu and on Astrology, it is noted that many of them refer
to the 60 - year cycle as the Tamil Cycle of Years. Also 'every year'
in this cycle is "referred to" as the name of a new Tamil Year.

But as we all could see the names have a Sanskrit base. Also we note
that the Chola Inscriptions from Tamil Nadu very seldom make
reference to these years, but normally says that an event took place
say in the 5th year or 13th year etc from the time the Chola king who
acended the throne.

But the Chola Inscriptions from the Karnataka State had a different
way of mentioning the time of an event. Most of them carried the Saka
year when the event took place, and in many cases also mentions the
name of the Year.

But what is interesting to note is that the name of the years that
are found in these inscriptions are the exact names of what we see in
the 60 year cycle which we call as the Tamil Cycle of Years.

As examples I append below parts of four Chola inscriptions, which
were found from the Karnataka State.

(1) "In the 9th year of the increasing reign of victory of the
glorious emperor of the three worlds Vikkrama Choladeva in the P(i)
lava year which was the Saka year 1049 on the occasion of an eclipse
of moon in the month of Jyaishtha..."

EPIGRAPHICA INDICA - Vol 6, No 7.

(2) "In the twenty eighth year of glorious Rajaraja Chola
corresponded to the Paridavin year the Saka 934..."

EPIGRAPHICA CARNATICA - Part 1, No 140

(3) "In the twenty second year of the king Parakesarivarman alias the
glorious Rajendra Chola deva who conquered the Purvadesam, the Ganga
and Kadarem on Sunday Mula (nakshatra) during the first thithi of the
bright fortnight of Margasira in the Srimuka year the 955-th of the
hundreds of years passed from the time of the Saka king..."

EPIGRAPHICA INDICA - Vol 6 No 3

(4) "On monday the nakshattra Swathi during the Kalashtami (thithi)
of the month of Ashadha in the Isvara year the 959-th Saka year in
the twenty sixth year of the glorious Mudikonda Gangaikonda Rajendra
Choladeva...."

EPIGRAPHICA CARNATICA - Vol 4, Hg 104

What makes me think on the strength of these Inscriptions is that
there could be a possibility of these 60 - Year Cycle was known and
was in practice in Karnataka which was not used in Tamil Nadu, and
with Tamil Nadu coming under the rule of Vijayanagara Empire (of
Karnataka), possibly these 60 - Year Cycle came in to practice in
Tamil Nadu as much as the Carnatic Music found its place in Tamil
Nadu overshadowing the traditional Tamil Music & Ragas (Panns).

Opinions are welcome.