Current Context: India’s first epigraphical mention of the comet to appear is that found on a copper-plate inscription dated June 28, 1456 CE in the Mallikarjunaswamy temple in Srisailam.

ABOUT MALLIKARJUNASWAMY TEMPLE:

• Location: Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh, in the Nallamalai Hills alongside the Krishna River.
• Divine Reverence: It holds both a Jyotirlinga (Shiva) and a Shakti Peetha (Parvati), marking high spiritual significance.
• Historical Patrons: Initially by the Satavahanas, later Rashtrakuta and Vijayanagara dynasties.
• Archaeological Importance:
  • The Sanskrit inscription in Nagari script records a land grant by Vijayanagara ruler Mallikarjuna to a Vedic scholar.
  • Documents advanced observational astronomy by medieval Indian scholars.