600 Year-Old Copper Plate Reveals India’s Earliest Epigraphic Reference to Halley’s Comet

Andhra Pradesh: A fascinating archaeological find at the Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh, has revealed what seems to be the earliest written reference to Halley’s Comet in India. This copper plate inscription, dated June 28, 1456 CE, was issued by Vijayanagara king Mallikarjuna as a land grant to a Vedic scholar. It describes a "bright celestial object" streaking across the sky, an observation that perfectly matches the comet’s recorded appearance that year.

Remarkable Find From Vijaynagar

Although it was meant to be a land grant issued by Vijayanagara king Mallikarjuna, it had an unexpected description of a "bright celestial object" streaking across the sky, an observation that perfectly matches the comet’s recorded appearance that year.

It records that on the date, a scholar Limganarya from Kadiyalapura received land as a ritual offering "to pacify the calamity believed to arise due to the appearance of a comet and associated meteor shower." It is traditionally believed that the appearance of a comet and meteoric shower would bring misfortune and calamities.

Written in Telugu and Sanskrit, the grant dated Saka 1378 elapsed, Dhatri Samvatsara, Ashadha Bahula 11, Somavara describes a comet and a meteor shower, aligning with Halley’s Comet's 1456 appearance, confirmed by scholars.

Why It Matters

This discovery is groundbreaking for several reasons. While ancient Indian texts like the Rigveda, Atharvaveda, and Brhat Samhita reference comets in a metaphorical sense, none provide such a precise, date-specific account that aligns with modern astronomical calculations. The inscription’s correlation of the historical date with the comet’s appearance shows that medieval Indian scholars not only observed but also meticulously recorded celestial events.

Additionally, this copper plate highlights the connection between science, ritual, and governance in 15th-century Vijayanagara. The royal patronage indicated that astronomical events, seen as omens, could sway policy decisions and land grants. 

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