Vijayawada: The first Indian epigraphical reference to Halley’s Comet has been discovered in the Srisailam Copper Plate Charter, dated 1456 CE, in Andhra Pradesh.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the unique inscription is written in Sanskrit using Nagari script, and belongs to the reign of Vijayanagara king Mallikarjuna. For the first time in Indian epigraphy, it makes mention of the appearance of Halley’s Comet and the resultant meteor shower.
The inscription states that on Monday, June 28, 1456 CE, to pacify a great calamity believed to have arisen from the appearance of a comet and its meteoric shower, King Mallikarjuna made a religious grant. On the day associated with the king’s asterism, he donated a village named Simgapura—located in Kelajhasima of Hastinavati Vemthe—as an agrahara to a Brahmin named Limganarya, a native of Kadiyalapura, now known as Kadiyapuanka in Galividu mandal of Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh.
The inscription reflects traditional beliefs that the sighting of comets and meteor showers signalled impending misfortune and calamities. As a result, a Shanti Puja (peace ritual) was performed to ward off the evil effects.
The copper plate records the appearance of the comet and associated beliefs with the Sanskrit phrase “Prakāśyaya mahotpāta śāntyartham dattam an vibhuh”, denoting the grant given for the pacification of the great celestial portent.
Historical records from various parts of the world also indicate that the appearance of Halley’s Comet in 1456 CE was widely feared and interpreted as a bad omen.
