Legacy

Legacy of Sarasvati Writing System

http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/austroasiatic/AA/pinnow-map.jpg

The regions related to Munda languages are the regions with mineral resources
and hence, the economic zones of early smiths (kaula mengro), mleccha-
speakers.

Legacy of the writing system on Bharhut ligatures

Makara as a
ligature of
alligator,
elephant,
tiger, snail,
fish-fin,
wing;
(it.ankar)
makara,

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ibha, kol, kavd.a_, ayo, er-aka Rebus: (d.hangar) mengro ‘merchant, smith’, ib
‘iron’, kol ‘pancaloha’, kaulo ‘kolla, furnace’, ayas ‘metal’, eraka ‘infusion of
metal’. Top register: pair of rams: med.ho ‘ram’; rebus: med. ‘iron’; barea ‘pair’;
rebus: barea ‘merchant’

Photo of a cephalopod fossil.
http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/earthsci/imagearchive/fossils.htm The coiled end
of the cephalopod is mirrored on a makara glyph composition. Makara Bharhut,
c. 100 BCE Indian Museum, Calcutta Something of the origin of the makara, or
at least its early composition in India, can be seen here. The water beast, confined
beneath a ledge with kneeling rams that represent the realm of land, is pictured
here with the snout of a crocodile, the head and forequarters of an elephant, the
body of a snake, and the fins and tail of a fish. http://www.art-and-
archaeology.com/india/calcutta/cm13.html The shell component of this motif
may be read as: ha_ngi snail (K.); sa~_khi possessing or made of shells (B.);
ho~gi pearl oyster shell, shell of any aquatic mollusc (K.); ha_ngi snail
(K.)(CDIAL 12380). gongha = snail’s shell (Santali). Cf. conch (English). Cypraea
moneta or a cowrie used as a coin. Rebus: kangar ‘portable furnace’ (K.) A
possible depiction of a kaula mangra ‘blacksmith’ working with s’ankha ‘shell’
and and indicaton of jhasa ‘fish’; rebus: jasa ‘prosperity, fame’. Kavd.a_ ‘cowrie;
Kaulo-mengro, s. A blacksmith; Kaulo ratti. Black blood, Gypsy blood (Gypsy).
Kerri mangro 'workman' (Gypsy) Kahlo / Kahli / Kahle – Black (male / female /
Plural) (From Punjabi - 'Kahla' / 'Kahli' / 'Kahle') Spanish Romma call
themselves 'Kahla' http://www.gypsyjournal.com/ForumReply.asp?ForumID=1
kola_ ‘flying fish’ (Ta.); ayo = fish; rebus: ayas ‘metal’ Pa. makara -- m. `sea --
monster'; Pk. magara -- , mayara m. `shark', Si. muvara, mora, Md. miyaru. --
NIA. forms with -- g -- ( e.g. H. G. magar m. `crocodile') or -- ng (S. mangar --
macho m. `whale', manguro m. `a kind of sea fish' } Bal. mangar `crocodile') are
loans from Pk. or Sk. or directly from non -- Aryan sources from which these
came, e.g. Sant. mangar `crocodile'.

Early coinage and copper plate inscriptions in India as a survival of
Sarasvati hieroglyphs of prehistoric Indian civilization.

(Mirrored, together with slide show of figures mentioned in the text at
http://spaces.msn.com/members/sarasvati97 )

There are remarkable parallels between the Sarasvati heiroglyphs and the
symbols used on punch-marked coins and on the sign graphs employed on
Sohgaura copper plate inscription – which becomes an explanatory Rosetta stone
in two scripts: Sarasvati hieroglyphs and brahmi script. Many examples have
been taken from coin auction sites.

Such a similarity has been noted by many scholars, some also suggested that the
devices on punch-marked coins are a survival of the Sarasvati (Harappan)
Civilization: Dr. Pran Nath had noticed the resemblance between the signs on
punch-marked coins and the Sarasvati epigraphs (Indus inscriptions) and had

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published his study of punch-marked coins in the British Museum in: Indian
Historical Quarterly, Vol. vii, 1931, Supplement, pp. 11 f. Bhattacharya, P.N., A
hoard of silver punch-marked coins from Purnea, MASI, No. 62, pp. 5ff; Durga
Prasad, Classification and significance of the symbols on the silver punch-marked
coins of ancient India, JASB, 1934, pp. 217 ff.; Observations on different types of
silver punch-marked coins, their period and locale, JASB, 1937, pp. 322 ff.;
Suryavamshi, Bhagwan Singh, Interpretation of some symbols of the punch-
marked coins, Journal of the Oriental Institute of Baroda, Vol. XII, No. 2, Dec.
1962, pp. 152 ff.; Fabri, C.L., The punch-marked coins: a survival of the Indus
civilization, JRAS, 1935, p. 307 ff.; Altekar, AS, Symbols on the copper band in
the Patna museum, JNSI, Bombay, Vol. IX, Part II, pp. 88-92. K.N. Dikshit noted
in Numismatic Society and United Provinces History Society meetings that
certain metal pieces recovered during the excavations at Mohenjo-daro agreed in
shape and in weight-system with the punch-marked coins. (Reported by KP
Jayaswal in: JRAS, 1935, p. 721).

Some excerpts from CL Fabri’s article which appeared in JRAS, 1935 (pp. 307-
318) are presented hereunder:

“Punch-marked coins are the earliest Indian archaeological ‘document’ that
exists,”

wrote Mr. EHC Walsh in 1923 in a thorough study of these interesting remains of
Indian proto-historic times. (Indian Punch-marked Coins (a Public coinage
issued by Authority), in Centenary Supplement, JRAS, 1924, pp. 175-189. At the
time when he wrote his article, very litt,e if anything, was known of the freshly
discovered prehistoric civilization in the Indus Valley, at Harappa and Mohenjo-
daro…Mr. Walsh said in 1923: “Until our present sources of information are
added to, the significance of the marks on punch-marked coins must remain the
subject of speculation and surmise.”…

“The significance of these symbols, however, is of paramount importance. That
they have some meaning, no one doubts. It is obvious that a few of them are
solar, lunar, and such-like symbols; but these are only a fraction of the great
mass. It is not impossible that they hold the clue to early Indian history, and if
one day scholars can ‘read’ these signs, they will be able, probably, to reconstruct
a period of Indian history of which we do not know anything at present. I am
writing not to explain these symbols, but to show that the solution of this
problem is closely connected with the deciphering of the Indus Valley script.

“While going through the signs published in the plates of Cunningham, Theobald,
and Walsh, I was immediately struck by certain animal representations. The most
frequent ones are those of the humped Indian bull, the elephant, the tiger, the
crocodile, and the hare. Now all these animals occur also on the seals of
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Not only are the subjects similar, but there are

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similarities in such small details that one must necessarily suppose that they are
not due to mere chance or to ‘similar working of the human mind’.

“Here is, e.g., the surprising identity of subject and execution in Fig. 1 (presented
in Punch1.jpg): a crocodile, holding a fish. The large open jaws show the teeth,
and the fish is not shown between them, but in a somewhat peculiar way,
‘hanging’ as it were just in front of the mouth. Not only is the subject similar, but
both animals face right, and a number of small details agree perfectly.

“Both the humped and the non-humped bull are represented in Mohenjo-daro.
The same is the case with the punch-marks. Fig. 2 (presented in Punch1.jpg)
shows a ‘European’ bull before a ‘trough’ facing right. The parallel from Mohenjo-
daro also faces right, and has a trough in exactly the same position as its late
descendant. The humped bull occurs in many varieties, and we reproduce only
one, in Fig. 3 (presented as Punch1.jpg), with an equivalent from the Indus Valley
opposite it.

“Elephants are represented in Fig. 5 (presented as Punch2.jpg); they never occur
with a trough on coins, and in Mohenjo-daro, as far as I am aware of it, there is
only one single seal where a trough is put before an elephant. Another
remarkable agreement in detail. In Fig. 4 (presented as Punch1.jpg) humped bull
is standing before or next to a tree or plant; a well-known element in the
prehistoric civilizations of India and Mesopotamia. The two examples given will
suffice to show that the old tradition was kept alive up to proto-historic times.
Nor is the motif of the ‘Tiger and Sacred Tree’ unknown on the punched coins;
Fig. 6 (presented as Punch2.jpg) presents what must be a tiger before a Sacred
Tree in a railing. The parallel seal of Mohenjo-daro shows a tree, on a branch, of
which a figure is seen – probably the Tree Spirit. Last but not the least, out of the
many punch-marks that could be shown here, we reproduce in Fig. 7 (presented
as Punch2.jpg) one more bull of the surprising similarity of the general
arrangement with that of the Indus seals: a bull facing right; before him a trough,
consisting of an upper and a lower portion; and, in the upper left corner, a
‘pictogram’, or, anyhow, all that is left of an old tradition! All these are placed in a
square area, and the whole must strike everyone as a survival of the old seals.

“Less convincing will be the representation of the hare as seen in Fig. 8
(presented in Punch2.jpg). No small details agree here, but the fact remains that
the symbol of this animal appealed to the inhabitants of Mohenjo-daro as well as
to those of proto-historic India. And if none of the above examples would carry
persuasion if it stood alone, the sum total of the comparisons is certainly
impressive…

“We are able to recognize a large number of Indus script pictograms among the
punch-marks published by previous writers – too large a number, indeed, to
ascribe it to mere coincidence. It is well known that the ru_pas on the punch-
marked coins are very numerous, and out of them I have selected only thirty-six
that show a remarkable similarity to Indus Valley pictograms.

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“Here is the ‘fish-sign’, our Fig. 9 (presented in Punch3.jpg) found in three
different varieties among the punch-marks, and in a number of similar ‘diacritic’
varieties in the Indus script (Nos. 331, 341 of the Sign Manual – from Mohenjo-
daro, vol. iii). Fig. 10 (presented in Punch3.jpg) shows a collection of the ‘man-
sign’; it will be seen that both in the punched coins and at Mohenjo-daro
distinction is made among men with arms hanging down or raised, a man
carrying an object, and a row of men holding each other’s hands (No. 371; cp.
Also seal with six men, pl. cxvi, 1 or cxviii,7). It seems to me that all these little
details must strike everyone as something more than accidental agreement.

“The arrow sign (Fig. 11) has its counterpart in Indus sign No. 324; that an arrow
is meant with this pictogram is evident from Sign No. 378, which I have added for
ready reference. The mountain symbol is well known in punch-marks…; the
Mohenjo-daro sign No. 157 (copied from seal 495, pl. cxiv) is as near an
equivalent as possible. Our Fig. 13 shows the perfectly identical ‘comb-signs’; they
have seven ‘teeth’ both in the Indus script and in the punch-mark. Fig. 14 is a very
frequent symbol and coule be termed the ‘thunderbolt’ or ‘axe’ sign. (For this
explanation see Contenau, Manuel, vol. I, figs. 144 and 145, and compare with
these Theobald’s fig. 166). The whole illustrations, Figs. 9 to 14, presents a
remarkable collection of similarities that would be difficult to explain as separate
invention.

“Fig. 15 (presented in Punch4.jpg) shows five different square punch signs with
their pictographic equivalents, and Fig. 16 five round signs which all agree
entirely in such minor details as the dots in the four compartments (No. 301), or
the number of spokes in Nos. 73 and 77. I do not see how such differences can be
explained by any other surmise but that they are ‘diacritic’ marks, or different
pictograms; the squares certainly are neither lunar nor solar symbols. Then
follows the so-called ‘taurine’ symbol (or is it a moon and a sun together?), the
equivalent of which is probably No. 99 or 217 in the Indus script. Our Fig. 18
shows again two perfectly identical pictograms, the Mohenjo-daro sign being No.
200 of the Manual.

“Birds are among the symbols shown upon punch-marked coins, either in a
semicircle or as flying above a mountain (Fig. 19); there are quite a number of
signs in the Indus script representing birds, and we reproduce here only two, viz.,
Nos. 364 and 355 of the List. Plants are figured rather similarly in Fig. 20; a ‘staff’
of three circles united in the middle or on the sides is a peculiar sign shown in
Fig. 21. The snake is a symbol both on the coins and in the Indus script (No. 192).
Figs, 23-4 show crosses of different description; but 23 will seem to be more
convincing than the far-spread and common symbols of the cross and the
svastika_. However, Nos. 25-6 show again two such peculiar signs that their
invention cannot be easily be ascribed to mere coincidence. It will be seen that
they have perfect equivalents in the Indus script in Nos. 53 and 178.

“Bu certainly the most convincing one in this whole mass of evidence is the sign
shown in Fig. 27 (presented in Punch5.jpg). The three signs in the left half of the

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drawing are ONE SINGLE PUNCH-MARK, and shown in Theobald’s plates as fig.
55. Their equivalents in the Indus script are shown in the right-hand
compartment. It is obvious that none of the rather simple explanations offered
for punch-marks by my predecessors can give a satisfactory interpretation to
such a ru_pa. The fact is that we have here to do with a regular pictographic
inscription, the significance of which must have been evident to all merchants,
shroffs, and moneylenders…

“There is another point worth mentioning. The seals, after all, were also a kind of
instrument by means of which an impression was made. The same is the case
with punching tool by means of which these punch-marks were made on the
metal. Moreover, a number of copper plates have been found at Mohenjo-daro
with signs similar to those of the seals; consequently, the same material has been
used there already as in later times for the punch-marked coins. The question
arises anew, whether the seals or sealings of the Indus Valley were intended to
represent money, or, anyhow, some forerunner of currency, replacing barter. To
this question, however, I feel unable to give a reply. But I must say that it does
not seem impossible to me that these sealings were a sort of I.O.U. One cannot
exclude this possibility, especially if we consider that a large number of early
Mesopotamian documents were of a commercial character.

“All these problems can only be solved when the Indus Valley script is
deciphered. Our present paper does not bring this problem any nearer to its
solution. Not is it intended to do so. It is intended to draw attention afresh to the
early coinage of India as a survival of prehistoric Indian civilization.

“There remains only one point to be dealt with. It is the question whether one can
suppose that these signs could have survived 2,000 years or more. The answer is
in the most emphatical affirmative. A large number of signs of Mesopotamia have
remained practically unchanged for 2,500 years; here is our own capital alphabet,
practically the same as was 2,000 years ago that of the Romans; the symbols of
the zodiac are unaltered since 4,000 years; and there is Chinese writing, although
slightly changed, still surviving after 3,000 years. The life of symbols, once
accepted, is almost unlimited. The sand-glass, although used only as an egg-
boiler now, is still the symbol of Time as it was in Athens 2,500 years ago; the
Cross still has a sacred meaning for us; a sword is a symbol of war, and a palm-
branch that of peace; even an illiterate person will understand that a heart means
love and anchor hope, although this symbolism would not be quite as evident in
another civilization.

“And who knows, how old some of the punch-marked coins may be? In 327 BC
Alexander the Great was already presented at Taxila with 80 Talents of this silver
coinage. Cunningham says: ‘They were certainly current in the time of Buddha,
that is, in the sixth century BC. But I see no difficulty in thinking that they might
mount as high as 1,000 BC. They certainly belong to the very infancy of coinage.’
(Op. laux., p. 43).

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“We should like to add now that, in our opinion, they preserve a number of
pictograms and symbols of the prehistoric period that preceded the Aryan
invasion. (Sir Richard Burton kindly draws my attention to the fact that some of
the symbols in the present article persist even on Muhammadan coins down to
the eighteenth century. This is another good proof in fvour of my thesis that
symbols have a very long life. If these symbols have been in use in historical times
since about 600 BC up to AD 1800, then there is no reason to doubt that they
could have lived two thousand years earlier already.) – January 1934. Source for
Theoboald’s study: Notes on some of the symbols found on the punch-marked
coins of Hindustan, in JASB, lix, pt.i, Nos. iii-iv, 1890.

The arguments of Fabri are strong indeed to aver continuity of the writing system
which evolved on Sarasvati epigraphs into the historical periods represented by
the punch-marked coins.

A remarkable feature of the punch-marked coins listed in a Catalogue of the
British Museum (as coins issued by native rulers from the earliest times to about
300 CE) is that they come from all parts of Bharat. The majority of the weights of
the punch-marked silver coins fall between 51.5 and 52.5 grains; some specimens
are also found to be 54 grains and 50 grains.

“The find spots…The first is in the extreme north-west: Peshawar, Taxila, Thatta,
Shahpur, and Kangra. The second belongs to the Ganges valley: Indor Khera,
Pa_d.ham, Paila, Etawa, Sankisa, Chiriyakot, Mirzapur, Ballia, Patna, Trogna,
Belwa, Bodh Gaya, and Bhagalpur…In the west we have a third group: Palanpur,
Tambavati Nagari, Jhalra Patan, Sarangpur, Besnagar, and Eran – in southern
Rajputana and Malwa, the area between the Aravalli and Vindya mountains,
drained by tributaries of the Jumna. The Hingaghat, Thaithari, Karimnagar, and
Bimlipatan finds belong to the basin of the Godavari. The Kolhapur, Coimbatore,
and Trichinopoli finds appear rather isolated in the south, although the two last
are not so remote from each other. This tells us little more than that punch-
marked coins are found in what were in ancient times also the most important
and thickly populated parts of India.” (John Allan, 1936, Catalogue of Indian
Coins in the British Museum, London, British Museum, pp. liv to lv). See map
after Dr. Dilip Rajgor on findspots of punch-marked coin hoards:

http://www215.pair.com/sacoins/public_html/maps_chronology.htm]

An average of five punches, of five symbols each, are found on the obverse of
many coins, with another group of four punches are found on the reverse of some
coins.

Sohgaura copper plate inscription as a survival of Sarasvati
hieroglyphs and writing system

The Sohgaura copper plate refers to a pair of
kos.t.ha_ga_ra (dva_ra kot.t.haka); the two

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storehouses described as tri-garbha (i.e. having three rooms) are illustrated on
line 1. (Fleet, JRAS, 1907). The illustrations indicate that the three rooms are in
three storeys, with supporting pillars clearly seen. The inscription refers to the
junction of three highways named Manavati, in two villages called Dasilimita and
Usagama. The storehouses were made at this junction for the goods of people
using the highways, which are indicated in line 3 by mentioning the three places
to and from which they led. One of the names give is reognized by Fleet as
Chanchu. (Fleet, JRAS, 63, 1894 proceedings, 86, plate, IA 25. 262; cf. Sohgaura
copper plate/B.M. Barua. The Indian Historical Quarterly, ed. Narendra Nath
Law. Reprint. 41) Some glyphs on line 1: kut.hi = tree; rebus: kut.hi = smelting
furnace; kos.t.ha_ga_ra = storehouse; s'u_la = spear; cu_l.a = kiln; kan.d.kanka
= rim of jar; rebus: copper furnace; bat.a = quail; rebus: kiln.
The top line is a set of hieroglyphs (from left to right).
Tree = kut.i; rebus: kut.hi ‘smelter, furnace’
Warehouse = kot. (kos.t.hagara)
Spear = cu_la; rebus: cu_lha ‘furnace’
Mountain-summit = ku_t.amu ; rebus : ku_t.a ‘workshop’
Wide-mouthed pot on mountain-summit = bat.i; rebus: bat.hi ‘furnace’)
Rim of jar = kan.d.; rebus: kand. ‘fire-altar’
Tree = kut.i; rebus: kut.hi ‘smelter, furnace’
Bird on branch: bat.a ‘quail’; rebus: bat.a ‘furnace’; d.a_l. ‘branch of tree’; rebus:
d.ha_l.ako ‘large metal ingot’ [The glyptic composition refers to a kut.hi which
can produce metal ingots]
Warehouse = kot. (kos.t.hagara)

The brahmi epigraph on the lines following the top line refers to two kos.t.hagara
set up for itinerant merchants (smiths?) at the junction of three roads.

Some devices used on punch-marked coins also occur as the first line of the
Sohgaura copper plate inscription. ( Fleet, J.F., The inscription on the Sohgaura
Plate, JRAS, 1907, pp. 509-532; B.M. Barua, Sohgaura copper plate, Indian
Historical Quarterly, Vol. X, 41).

Sohgaura or Soghaura is a village on the right bank of River Rapti, about fourteen
miles south-east from Gorakhpur. The plate measures 2 ½ X 1 7/8 inches. The
copper plate was cast in a mould. The writing is NOT incised, but in bold, high
relief. (JRAS 1907, p. 527). “In the first place, this archaeological find affords the
oldest known and clear example of the use of a copper-plate as a material for
writing, especially for inscribing a record in Brahmi characters…Secondly, the
record has its uniqueness and importance for the standard of Brahmi characters
which it presents, the standard which, in the opinion of Dr. Fleet, ‘refers it to at
any rate an early date in the Maurya period, BC 320 to about 180’…

Non-religious nature of sign graphs on Sohgaura copper plate

“Lastly, with regard to its subject-matter, the inscription is found to be a public
notification about the judicious use of certain things in two storehouses by

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persons carrying on traffic along the high roads leading to S’ra_vasti, or it may
be, by persons carrying on traffic by all the three kinds of vehicles along the high
roads, in times of urgent need…What we owe to Dr. Fleet’s study of the nature of
the devices (used on the top line of the copper plate) is the recognition in all of
them a significance other than that of religious symbols. To quote him in his
words: ‘Two of them obviously represent the storehouses themselves, which are
shown as shed with double roofs. The lower roof in each case is supported by four
rows of posts; and these perhaps stand for four rows of posts, the front posts
hiding, those behind them. In the other devices I recognize, not religious
emblems, Buddhist or otherwise, -- (I mean, not religious emblems employed
here as such), -- nor Mangalas, auspicious symbols, but the arms of the three
towns mentioned in L3 of the record.’…” (BM Barua, 1929, The Sohgaura copper-
plate inscription, ABORI, vol. 11, 1929, pp. 31-48).

The text of the inscription (which is considered by some to of pre-Mauryan days,
i.e. circa 4th century BCE) refers to some famine relief measures and notifies the
establishment of two public storehouses at a junction of three great highways of
vehicular traffic to meet the needs of persons (apparently merchants and metal-
workers) using these roads. The first line which is full of glyphs or devices should
relate to the inscription and the facilities provided to the traders. Next to the
symbol of the kos.t.haagaara is a s’u_la (spear). This is phonetically cuula ‘kiln’
for metals to be heated and copper/bronze/brass vessels and tools, worked on by
metalsmiths. Similarly, the first glyph of a tree on a platform can be read as kuti
‘tree’; another word kuti in Santali means a ‘furnace’ for melting metals. The
other devices are: three peaks mounted by a rimless pot, a rim of a jar, a tree
branch with a bird perched on top. These can also be explained in the context of
Sarasvati heiroglyphs and the context of metals/minerals-trade.

The second symbol from the left and the second symbol from the right may refer
to a kos.t.haagaara. Ko.s.thaagaara is a pair of storehouses are referred to by
this name in the Sohgaura plaque inscription, and illustrated on the same
plaque (Fleet, The tradition about the corporeal relics of Buddha, JRAS, 1907, pp.
341-363: I find a mention of a place named Chanchu, which I take to be the
same one, in the Sohgaura plate (JASB, 63, 1894. proceedings, 86, plate; IA, 25.
262). That record, as I understand it, is a public notification relating to three
great highways of vehicular traffic…It notifies that at the junction, named
Manavasi, of the three roads, in two villages named Dasilimata and
Usagama, storehouses were made for the goods of people using the roads. It
indicates the roads by mentioning in line 3, the three places to and from which
they led; as regards the junction of them.). They are described as trigarbha,
having three rooms; Fleet discusses this at length, but it is evident from the
illustrations that these rooms are on three storeys, for the storehouses are
represented as small three-storeyed pavilions; it is true that the roof of the top
storey is quot;out of the picture,quot; but its supporting pillars can be clearly eeen.
For another use of garbha as designating chambers of a many-storeyed
building, see Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Indian Architectural Terms, Journal of
the American Oriental Society, Vol. 48, no. 3, SEPT 1928, pp.250-275.

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The devices on the top line of the Sohgaura copper plate can be read rebus as
hieroglyphs, as in the case of Sarasvati hieroglyphs: 1. tree, kut.i (as smelting
furnace); 2. tree twigs, kut.i (as smelting furnace); 3. cup, bat.i (as a furnace for
melting iron ore); 4. bird, bat.a (as iron or metal); 4. two kos.t.ha_ga_ra (as
storehouses), comparable to a sign graph with four posts used on Sarasvati
epigraphs (so called Indus inscriptions); three mountains with a U graph on top
summit. The presence of furnace facilities for working with metal tools in the two
warehouses can be explained in the context of the types of conveyances, parts of
which may require mending and to work/tinker on metallic articles and wares of
itinerant merchants who need such publicly provided facilities in times of
emergency as the s’a_sana in Brahmi writing notes.

kut.hi kut.a, kut.i, kut.ha a tree (Kaus'.); kud.a tree (Pkt.); kur.a_ tree; kar.ek
tree, oak (Pas;.)(CDIAL 3228). kut.ha, kut.a (Ka.), kudal (Go.) kudar.
(Go.) kut.ha_ra, kut.ha, kut.aka = a tree (Skt.lex.) kut., kurun: = stump of a
tree (Bond.a); khut. = id. (Or.) kut.a, kut.ha = a tree (Ka.lex.) gun.d.ra = a stump;
khun.t.ut = a stump of a tree left in the ground (Santali.lex.) kut.amu = a tree
(Te.lex.)

kut.i, ‘smelting furnace’ (Mundari.lex.).kut.hi, kut.i (Or.; Sad. kot.hi) (1) the
smelting furnace of the blacksmith; kut.ire bica duljad.ko talkena, they were
feeding the furnace with ore; (2) the name of e_kut.i has been given to the fire
which, in lac factories, warms the water bath for softening the lac so that it can be
spread into sheets; to make a smelting furnace; kut.hi-o of a smelting furnace, to
be made; the smelting furnace of the blacksmith is made of mud, cone-shaped, 2’
6” dia. At the base and 1’ 6” at the top. The hole in the centre, into which the
mixture of charcoal and iron ore is poured, is about 6” to 7” in dia. At the base it
has two holes, a smaller one into which the nozzle of the bellow is inserted, and a
larger one on the opposite side through which the molten iron flows out into a
cavity (Mundari.lex.) cf. kan.d.a = furnace, altar (Santali.lex.)

kut.i = a woman water-carrier (Te.lex.) kut.i = to drink; drinking, beverage (Ta.);
drinking, water drunk after meals (Ma.); kud.t- to drink (To.); kud.i to drink;
drinking (Ka.); kud.i to drink (Kod.); kud.i right, right hand (Te.); kut.i_
intoxicating liquor (Skt.)(DEDR 1654).

The bunch of twigs = ku_di_, ku_t.i_ (Skt.lex.) ku_di_ (also written as
ku_t.i_ in manuscripts) occurs in the Atharvaveda (AV 5.19.12) and Kaus'ika
Su_tra (Bloomsfield's ed.n, xliv. cf. Bloomsfield, American Journal of Philology,
11, 355; 12,416; Roth, Festgruss an Bohtlingk, 98) denotes it as a twig. This is
identified as that of Badari_, the jujube tied to the body of the dead to efface their
traces. (See Vedic Index, I, p. 177).

bat.i = a furnace for melting iron-ore (Santali.lex.) bhat.t.hi_ = [Skt. bhr.s.ti
frying; fr. bhrasj to fry] a kiln, a furnace; an oven; a smith’s forge; a stove; the
fireplace of a washer-man;a spirit still; a distillery; a brewery (G.lex.)

10

bat.i = a metal cup or basin; bhat.i = a still, a boiler, a copper; dhubi bhat.i = a
washerman’s boiler; jhuli bhat.i = a trench in the ground used as a fireplace when
cooking has to be done for a large number of people (Santali.lex.)

bat.a = a quail, or snipe, coturuix coturnix cot; bon.d.e bat.a = a large quail; dak
bat.a = the painted stripe, rostraluta benghalensis bengh; gun.d.ri bat.a = a small
type, coloured like a gun.d.ri (quail); ku~k bat.a = a medium-sized type; khed.ra
bat.a = the smallest of all; lan.d.ha bat.a = a small type (Santali.lex.) bat.ai,
(Nag.); bat.er (Has.); [H. bat.ai or bat.er perdix olivacea; Sad. bat.ai] coturnix
coromandelica, the black-breasted or rain-quail; two other kinds of quail are
called respectigely: hur.in bat.ai and gerea bat.ai (Mundari.lex.) vartaka = a
duck (Skt.) batak = a duck (G.lex.) vartika_ = quail (RV.); wuwrc partridge
(Ash.); barti = quail, partridge (Kho.); vat.t.aka_ quail (Pali); vat.t.aya (Pkt.);
bat.t.ai (N.)(CDIAL 11361). varta = *circular object; *turning round (Skt.); vat.u
= twist (S.)(CDIAL 11346) bat.er = quail (Ku.B.); bat.ara, batara = the grey quail
(Or.)(CDIAL 11350).

bat.ai = to divide, share (Santali) [Note the glyphs of nine rectangles divided.]

bat.a; rebus, bat.a ‘iron’ bat.a = a kind of iron (G.lex.) bhat.a = a furnace, a
kiln; it.a bhat.a a brick kiln (Santali)

This note has presented two continuities from Sarasvati civilization: 1. use of
punches to mark devices on punch-marked coins and 2. use of copper plate to
convey message related to an economic transaction.

This continuity of tradition is linked by the metallurgical tradition of
s’reni/artisan guilds working with metals, minerals and furnaces to create
copper/bronze artifacts and terracotta or s’ankha bangles and ornaments of
silver, copper or semi-precious stones such as agate, carnelian or lapis lazuli. The
code of the writing system which was employed on Sarasvati hieroglyphs with 5
or 6 sign graphs constituting an inscription, is the same code which was
employed on devices of punch-marked coins (produced in mints belonging to
guilds) and on copper plate s’a_s’ana-s or historical periods of pre-mauryan
times in India, like the evidence presented by Sohgaura copper plate. Since this
plate contains a Brahmi inscription, this constitutes a Rosetta stone to explain
the meanings of the sign graphs or glyphs employed on the top line of the plate in
the context of the facilities provided in two warehouses to traveling caravan
merchants or rive-faring merchants.

Ancient India Coinage
Silver karshapana of the Mauryan Empire

A hill, a bull and an elephant

11

Mauryan Empire, 3rd century BC
Northern India

The first coinages of India used the same technology as the bent bars of the
north-west regions, that is, pieces of silver, of any shape but of a specific weight,
were struck with punches on one side. The earliest coins show great regional
variation in design and in the number of punches used, but under the Mauryans
smaller round or square coins with five random punch marks became standard.
These coins circulated well beyond Mauryan borders; they have been excavated at
sites from northern Afghanistan to Sri Lanka. In Indian texts they are called
karshapana.
Two of the punches are always a sun and a six-armed symbol. The other three
may include representations of plants, animals, auspicious or religious symbols
and everyday objects. This coin, for example has a tree on a hill, a bull and the
rear part of an elephant. According to the Indian text Visuddhimagga, these
marks enabled a money changer to know who issued each coin and where it was
struck.
P.L. Gupta and T.R. Hardaker, Ancient Indian silver punchmar (Nasik, 1985)
J. Williams (ed.), Money: a history (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/s/silv
er_karshapana_of_the_maury.aspx

The first documented coinage is deemed to start with 'Punch Marked' coins
issued between the 7th-6th century BC and 1st century AD. These coins are called
'punch-marked' coins because of their manufacturing technique. Mostly made of
silver, these bear symbols, each of which was punched on the coin with a separate
punch.

Punch Marked Coin, Silver Bentbar

Issued initially by merchant Guilds and later by States, the coins
represented a trade currency belonging to a period of intensive trade
activity and urban development. They are broadly classified into two
periods : the first period (attributed to the Janapadas or small local
states) and the second period (attributed to the Imperial Mauryan
period). The motifs found on these coins were mostly drawn from
nature like the sun, various animal motifs, trees, hills etc. and some
were geometrical symbols.

12

Description Obverse Reverse

Seven Symbols

Five Symbols

Five Symbols

Representative Symbols appearing on Punch Marked Coins

Description Coin

13

Asmaka Janapada

Imperial Series

Imperial Series

Imperial Series

Silver Punchmarked Coins

14

Satavahana

The Satavahanas were the early rulers of the region between the rivers, Godavari
and the Krishna. They were also referred to as the Andhras. They soon brought
under their control, both the Western-Deccan and Central India. The dates of
their coming in to power are contentious and are variously put between 270 BC to
30 BC. Their coins were predominantly of copper and lead, however, silver issues
are also known. These coins carried the motifs of fauna like elephants, lions,
bulls, horses, etc. often juxtaposed against motifs from nature like hills, tree, etc.
The silver coins of the Satavahanas carried portraits and bilingual legends, which
were inspired by the Kshatrapa types.

Coins of the Satavahana

15

Western Kshatrapa

The term Western Kshatraps alludes to the set of rulers who ruled Western India
between the 1st and 4th Century AD. The legends on the coins were generally in
Greek and Brahmi. Kharoshti too was used. The Western Kshatrap coins are
reckoned to be the earliest coins bearing dates. The common copper coins are the
'bull and hill' and the 'elephant and hill' types.


Rudrasimha I, 180-196 AD

Viradaman, 234-238 AD

Coins of the Western Kshatrapas

Other Coins

In the interregnum between the fall of the Maurayans and the rise of the Guptas
various tribal republics in the Punjab and monarchies in the Indo-Gangetic plain
issued coins. Most coins were issued in Copper. The coins of the Yaudheyas were
influenced in design and motif by the coins of the Kushans. They followed the
weights of the Indo-bacterian rulers.

16

Coin of the Yaudheyas

Gupta

Gupta coinage (4th-6th centuries AD) followed the tradition of the Kushans,
depicting the king on the obverse and a deity on the reverse; the deities were
Indian and the legends were in Brahmi. The earliest Gupta coins are attributed to
Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and Kumaragupta and their coins often
commemorate dynastic succession as well as significant socio-political events,
like marriage alliances, the horse sacrifice, etc (King and queen type of coin of
Chandragupta 1, Asvamedha type, etc.), or for that matter artistic and personal
accomplishments of royal members (Lyrist, Archer, Lion-slayer etc.).


King as Horseman

17

King as Lion Slayer

King & Queen Type

Fan-Tailed Peacock

Coins of the Guptas

Post-Gupta Coinage

Post-Gupta coinage (6th-12th centuries AD), is represented by a monotonous and
aesthetically less interesting series of dynastic issues including those of Harsha
(7th century AD, Kalachuri of Tripuri (11th century AD) and early medieval
Rajputs (9th-12th centuries AD). Gold coins struck between this period are rare.
These were revived by Gangeyadeva the Kalachuri ruler who issued the 'Seated
Lakshmi Coins' which were copied by later rulers both in gold as well as in debase
form. The Bull & Horseman type of coins were the most common motif appearing
on coins struck by the Rajput clans. In western India, imported coins like the
Byzantine solidi were often used reflecting trade with the Eastern Roman Empire.


18

Seated Lakshmi

Bull & Horseman

South Indian Coinage

The symbols and motifs on South Indian coin issues were confined to dynastic
crests such as the boar (Chalukya), bull (Pallava), tiger (Chola), fish (Pandya and
Alupas), bow and arrow (Cheras) and lion (Hoysala) etc. The Yadavas of Devagiri
issued 'Padmatankas' with an eight-petalled lotus on the obverse and a blank
reverse. Coin legends refer to names or titles of the issuer in local scripts and
languages. Decorative features are rare and divinities are almost absent till the
medieval Vijayanagar period (14th - 16th centuries AD).


Coins of the Cheras
11th - 13th Centuries

19

Coins of the Cheras

Coins of the Cholas

Coins of the Alupas of Udipi

Padmatankas,
Coins of the Yadavas of Devagiri

http://www.rbi.org.in/currency/museum/c-ancient.html

20

p.79
Kothari, Narendra, 2006, History and
background of the coinage and the
Ujjain symbol with catalog of Malwa,
Avanti, Surasena, and Ujjain series of
cast copper and silver punchmarked
coins. 128p.

21

+Punch-marked coin

Punch-marked coins

22

http://sarasvati97.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!A74A2ADBFA0A3358!529/

23

Ujjain coin (Obverse and reverse)
Audumbura coin

Pandya coins
Chera coins

24

25

26

Ujjain
Jeweller’s 6 in. square seal (Showing three-peaks and vedika glyphs)

27

Ancient and Medieval Indian Coins @ www.AncientCoins.ca

RARE and superb! Earliest large silver
shatamana (double siglos or bent bar) issue,
Gandhara (ca.600-500 BC) - FIRST Indian coin US$
issue every struck! Long concave silver bar, 41mm 230.00
long, 10mm wide, struck with a 6-armed Gandharan
symbol on each end. 11.5 grams. Rajgor 540-545 var.
Stock #24211

Stock #24210.

Stock #24209.

Stock #24212.

Rare and superb silver cup-shaped 1/8th
shatamana (shana) from Gandhara Janapada, US$
ca.500-400 BC. Punchmark (6-armed Gandharan 60.00
symbol with a dot between two of the arms) / blank. SOLD
15mm, 1.5 grams. Rare. Rajgor 578. Stock #24243.
US$
46.00

Rare! Early punch silver drachm, Kasala Kingdom, ca.600-470 B
Irregular flat silver plachet. Number of various punched symbols / Various punch sy

28

Nice quality metal. Rare pre-Maurian silver. 20x16mm, 3.0grams. Stock #24220.

First issue HUGE silver karshapana, Bhattiya to Ajatashatru (ca.
BC), Magadha. Five various punchmarks / Blank. HUGE silver sqaure pl
rare 1st issue karshapana. 21x20mm, 3.4 grams. Gupta and Hadraker I X
(#165). Stock #24208. Note: A wonderful huge silver coin from the lifeti
Buddha. First issue Karshapanas are very rare, and are hard to find.

First issue HUGE silver karshapana, Bhattiya to Ajatashatru (ca.
BC), Magadha. Five various punchmarks / Blank. HUGE silver sqaure pl
rare 1st issue karshapana. 22x25mm, 3.4 grams. Gupta and Hadraker I X
2 (#259). Stock #24207. Note: A wonderful huge silver coin from the life
Buddha. First issue Karshapanas are very rare, and are hard to find.

Extremely rare! Second issue HUGE silver karshapana, times of
Uddayina (ca.461-445 BC), Magadha. Five various punchmarks / blank.
silver planchet, rare 2ndissue karshapana. 24x20mm, 3.5 grams. Gupta
Hadraker II IX A 2 (#281). Stock #24206. Note: A wonderful huge silver
from the lifetime of Buddha. First issue Karshapanas are very rare, and
to find.

Rare early punch silver drachm, Magadha Kingdom, Successors
Ajatashatru (462 - 414 BC). 22mm. Irregular flat silver planchet. Traces
least 9 punched symbols including: 2 suns; 6-armed symbol; elephant; d
surrounded by taurine symbols /Various bankers marks. VF, nice metal
nice and large! Rare pre-Maurian silver. These high quality large karsha
are very rare and fairly expensive. Mitchiner ACW 3997v.; Gupta/Harda
305 var. Stock #23547.

Silver drachm of Ashoka (ca.272-232 BC), Mauryan Empire. Squ
punch drachm. Various marks and Ashoka's royal symbol / Ashoka's ro
symbol. G/H-557. 11x16mm, 3.0grams. VF. Stock #23995.

29

RARE and superb! Earliest large silver shatamana (double siglos or
bent bar) issue, Gandhara (ca.600-500 BC) - FIRST Indian coin issue
every struck! Long concave silver bar, 37mm long, 11mm wide, struck with a 6-
armed Gandharan symbol on each end. 11.5 grams. Rajgor 540-545 var. Stock
#24212. http://www.ancientcoins.ca/india.html

Rare and superb
silver cup-shaped 1/8th shatamana (shana) from Gandhara Janapada,
ca.500-400 BC. Punchmark (6-armed Gandharan symbol with a dot between
two of the arms) / blank. 15mm, 1.5 grams. Rare. Rajgor 578. Stock #24243.

30

Early punch silver drachm, Kasala Kingdom, ca.600-470 BC. Irregular
flat silver plachet. Number of various punched symbols / Various punch symbols.
Nice quality metal. Very nice and large! Rare pre-Maurian silver. 19x14mm,
2.7grams, Murphy Kasala IIIc.1.3.2. Stock #v181.

Early punch
silver drachm, Kasala Kingdom, ca.600-470 BC. Irregular flat silver
plachet. Number of various punched symbols / Various punch symbols. Nice
quality metal. Rare pre-Maurian silver. 16x15mm, 3.0grams. Stock #24221.

31

First issue HUGE silver karshapana, Bhattiya to Ajatashatru (ca.550-
461 BC), Magadha. Five various punchmarks / Blank. HUGE silver sqaure
planchet, rare 1st issue karshapana. 21x20mm, 3.4 grams. Gupta and Hadraker I
XIV A 1 (#165). Stock #24208. Note: A wonderful huge silver coin from
the lifetime of Buddha. First issue Karshapanas are very rare, and are
hard to find.

First issue HUGE silver karshapana, Bhattiya to Ajatashatru (ca.550-
461 BC), Magadha. Five various punchmarks / Blank. HUGE silver sqaure
planchet, rare 1st issue karshapana. 22x25mm, 3.4 grams. Gupta and Hadraker I
XXXVI A 2 (#259). Stock #24207. Note: A wonderful huge silver coin

32

from the lifetime of Buddha. First issue Karshapanas are very rare,
and are hard to find.

Extremely rare! Second issue HUGE silver karshapana, times of
Uddayina (ca.461-445 BC), Magadha. Five various punchmarks / blank.
Large silver planchet, rare 2ndissue karshapana. 24x20mm, 3.5 grams. Gupta
and Hadraker II IX A 2 (#281). Stock #24206. Note: A wonderful huge
silver coin from the lifetime of Buddha. First issue Karshapanas are
very rare, and are hard to find.

Successors of Ajatashatru (ca. 445-414 BC)

33

Rare early punch silver drachm, Magadha Kingdom,
Successors of Ajatashatru (462 - 414 BC). 22mm. Irregular flat
silver planchet. Traces of at least 9 punched symbols including: 2 suns;
6-armed symbol; elephant; dog surrounded by taurine symbols
/Various bankers marks. VF, nice metal. Very nice and large! Rare pre-
Maurian silver. These high quality large karshapanas are very rare and
fairly expensive. Mitchiner ACW 3997v.; Gupta/Hardaker ISPC 305
var. Stock #23547.

Rare early punch silver drachm, Magadha Kingdom, Successors of

34

Ajatashatru (462 - 414 BC). 28mm. Irregular flat silver planchet. Traces of at
least 9 punched symbols including: 2 suns; 6-armed symbol; elephant; dog
surrounded by taurine symbols /Various bankers marks. VF, nice metal. Very
nice and large! Rare pre-Maurian silver. Mitchiner ACW 3997v.; Gupta/Hardaker
ISPC 305 var. Stock #23548.

Eight Sons of Mahapadma Nanda (circa 340 - 320 BC)
Rare early punch silver drachm, Period of the Eight
Sons of Mahapadma Nanda (circa 340 - 320 BC). At
least 6 punched symbols: Sun, 6-armed symbol, plant on hill
symbol, humped bull, elephant and taurine (?) symbol / A
number of punchmarks. aEF, rare. Mitchiner ACW 4054v.
Stock #23543.

Early silver
Karshapana. Period of Chandragupta (circa 321 - 297 BC). Various
symbol / Four bull heads around pellet. aF, rare. Stock #23631.

35

Early silver Karshapana. Period of Chandragupta (circa 321 - 297 BC).
Various symbol / uncertain punch-marks on reverse. 13x17mm, 3.2grams. VF,
rare. Stock #23985.

Early
silver silver karshapana of Bindusara (ca.297-272 BC), Mauryan
Empire. Round flat silver planchet (15mm, 3.3g). Various punch-mark symbols
/ A single small punch-mark. Scarce. G/H-519. Stock #23964.

36

Drachm of Ashoka (ca.272-232 BC), Mauryan Empire. Square punch
drachm. Two symbols on obverse - an elephant, various marks around, and
Ashoka's royal symbol / Ashoka's royal symbol, uncertain punch-marks on
reverse. Unpublished!!! 16x10mm, 2.9grams. VF. Stock #23534.

Excellent silver drachm of Ashoka (ca.272-232 BC), Mauryan Empire.
Square punch drachm. Various marks and Ashoka's royal symbol / Ashoka's
royal symbol. G/H-552. 14x14mm, 3.5grams. VF. Stock #23989.

Ujjain mint silver drachm, Period of Ashoka (272-232 BC), Mauryan

37

Empire Five punched symbols: Sun, three-armed symbol, thee-arched hill,
Ashoka's symbol and a figure of a warrior, holding spear and a small shield /
Ashoka's symbol. 14x12 mm, 3.3 grams. Malwa mint (Ujjain). VF. Rare. Stock
#23858

Ujjain mint silver
drachm, Period of Ashoka (272-232 BC), Mauryan Empire Five punched
symbols: Sun, three-armed symbol, thee-arched hill, Ashoka's symbol and a
figure of a warrior, holding spear and a small shield / Ashoka's symbol. 10x16
mm, 3.0 grams. Malwa mint (Ujjain). VF. Rare. Stock #23862

Silver drachm of Samprati (ca.216-207 BC), Mauryan Empire. Irregular
square punch drachm. Various symbols on obverse / central dot surrounded with
two crescents and two arrowheads. G/H 574 16x12mm, 3.4 grams. aVF, scarce
this nice. Stock #23987.

38

Later Sungas, bronze half karshapana (ca.150 BC-100 AD), Sunga
Kingdom (187-75 BC). Cross left, three-arched hill (chaitya) with crescent,
above; railed tree, right / Elephant left; symbol. 16mm, 3.0 grams. Mitchiner
ACW 4381v. Stock #23946.

US$ 18.00

Later Sungas,
bronze half karshapana (ca.150 BC-100 AD), Sunga Kingdom (187-75
BC). Cross left, three-arched hill (chaitya) with crescent, above; railed tree, right
/ Elephant left; symbol. 16mm, 3.1 grams. Mitchiner ACW 4381v. Stock
#22904.

US$ 7.00

39

Later Sungas, bronze half karshapana (ca.150 BC-100
AD), Sunga Kingdom (187-75 BC). Cross left, three-arched hill (chaitya) with
crescent, above; railed tree, right / Elephant left; symbol. 16mm, 3.1 grams.
Mitchiner ACW 4381v. Stock #22913.

Early punch 1/4 karshapana, Sunga Kingdom (187-75 BC). Various
[punch marks / Ashoka's royal symbol. Early type, imitating Mauryan silver
karshapanas. aVF for the type. Stock #23638.

US$ 6.00 SOLD

Superb and rare silver drachm, Kuninda, 2nd century BC.
18mm. Deer standing right, crowned by two cobras, attended by Lakshmi holding
a lotus flower. Legend in Prakrit (Brahmi script): quot;Rajnah Kunindasya

40

Amoghabhutisya maharajasyaquot; / Stupa surmounted by the Buddhist symbol
triratna, and surrounded by a swastika, a quot;Yquot; symbol, and a tree in railing.
Kharoshti legend. Superb EF, rare, especially this nice! 18mm, 2.1 grams. MACW
4440-4441; ACC #4. Stock #24247.

US$ 145.00

Superb and rare silver drachm, Kuninda, 2nd century BC. 18mm. Deer
standing right, crowned by two cobras, attended by Lakshmi holding a lotus
flower. Legend in Prakrit (Brahmi script): quot;Rajnah Kunindasya Amoghabhutisya
maharajasyaquot; / Stupa surmounted by the Buddhist symbol triratna, and
surrounded by a swastika, a quot;Yquot; symbol, and a tree in railing. Kharoshti legend.
Superb EF, rare, especially this nice! 18mm, 2.1 grams. MACW 4440-4441; ACC
#4. Stock #24248.

US$ 145.00

41

Superb and rare silver drachm, Kuninda, 2nd century
BC. 18mm. Deer standing right, crowned by two cobras, attended by Lakshmi
holding a lotus flower. Legend in Prakrit (Brahmi script): quot;Rajnah Kunindasya
Amoghabhutisya maharajasyaquot; / Stupa surmounted by the Buddhist symbol
triratna, and surrounded by a swastika, a quot;Yquot; symbol, and a tree in railing.
Kharoshti legend. Superb EF, rare, especially this nice! Superb EF, rare,
especially this nice! 18mm, 2.2 grams. MACW 4440-4441; ACC #4.
Stock #24246.

US$ 145.00 SOLD

Superb and rare silver drachm, Kuninda, 2nd century BC. 18mm. Deer
standing right, crowned by two cobras, attended by Lakshmi holding a lotus
flower. Legend in Prakrit (Brahmi script): quot;Rajnah Kunindasya Amoghabhutisya

42

maharajasyaquot; / Stupa surmounted by the Buddhist symbol triratna, and
surrounded by a swastika, a quot;Yquot; symbol, and a tree in railing. Kharoshti legend.
Superb EF, rare, especially this nice! AIC pg. 146, 1; MACW 4442; Senior pg. 233.
Stock #23696.

US$ 160.00 SOLD

http://www.ancientcoins.ca/india.html

This is a

Yadava-type silver coin of Bhoja Deva,
the Paramara ruler of Vidarbha-North
Telingana who was a Rastrakuta
feudatory . The 'peacock' is a part of
the Yadava-style lion, what one sees as
the neck of the bird is actually a raised
front leg, when turned upside downv
The legend that appears above is 'Sri
Bho ja De va'.

43

1) Ruler : Shilaharas of Kolhapur , King Bhoja ?
2) Year : 12 th Century AD
3) Unit : Unknown , Silver
4) Obverse : Garuda standing to right, fighting with Serpent, three dots
behind the head of Garuda.
5) Reverse : Inscription in Kannada script the larger is 'Bh' and the smaller,
placed inside the
larger, is ‘Ra’, which accompanied with Sun and Moon symbol.

Coins of Gandhara
Janapada - 1/8 Satamana :

44

1) Ruler : Gandhara Janapada : Taxila-Gandhara region .
2) Year : 600 BC - 450 BC
3) Unit : 1/8 Satamana , Silver
4) Obverse : Circular design composed of six tridents and a pole radiating
from a central
circle
5) Reverse : Blank , Counterstruck on rev

http://www.geocities.com/ancientcoinsofindia/earlya.html

Early Cast Copper Coins of Kausambi region :

45

1) Ruler : Unknown , Copper Cast Coin , Kausambi
2) Year : Unknown ?
3) Unit : Unknown , Copper
4) Obverse : Elephant standing to left , Swastika , taurine , triangular headed
standard
5) Reverse : Tree in railing , Wheel , Ujjain symbol ,

46

1) Ruler : Unknown , Copper Cast Coin , Kausambi
2) Year : Unknown ?
4) Obverse : Elephant standing to left
5) Reverse : Ujjain Symbol

Early Cast Copper Coins of Vidarbha region :

1) Ruler : Unknown , Copper Cast Coin , Vidarbha
2) Year : Unknown ?
4) Obverse : Hollow cross
5) Reverse : Tree in railing

47

1) Ruler : Unknown , Copper Cast Coin , Vidarbha
2) Year : Unknown ?
4) Obverse : Hollow cross
5) Reverse : Blank

Uninscribed coins of Narmada Valley:

48

1) Ruler : Uninscribed coins of Narmada Valley
2) Year : 2nd- 1st Century B.C.
4) Obverse : A group of four nandipadas with common orb with one ujjain
symbol at the centre and
two taurine symbols between each nandipadas
5) Reverse : Blank

49

4) Obverse : Hollow cross with whirl ? inside , beaded square.
5) Reverse : Blank
6) Reference : Nil

50

4) Obverse : Tree in railing , river below
5) Reverse : Blank

http://www.geocities.com/ancientcoinsofindia/early7kau.html

51

Uninscribed coins of Ujjain or Ujjaini :

1) Ruler : Uninscribed coins of Ujjain or Ujjaini : Anonymous/Symbol
series
2) Year : 2nd- 1st Century B.C. ( circa 150 - 75 BC )
4) Obverse : Male and Female Figures standing , small dot between both
figures
River with fishes and tortoises/frog below .
5) Reverse : Ujjain symbol with taurine symbol in each orb .
6) Reference : Nil

52

series
3) Unit : AE Half Karshapana (?) , Copper
4) Obverse : 6-armed symbol, railed tree to left, rectangle containing
tortoises/frog
and fish above, other symbols.
5) Reverse : Ujjain symbol

53

series
4) Obverse : Hexaradiate symbol
5) Reverse : Ujjain symbol with dot in each orb .
6) Reference : Nil

series
4) Obverse : Swastika with bull head ends.
5) Reverse : 6-armed and Male figure holding spear ( Kartikeya ?).
6) Reference : Nil

54

(Note : These issues found in Ujjain but are known from Saurashtra -
Kathiawar region )

Uninscribed coins of Ujjain or Ujjaini ( Or Kathiawar ):

series
4) Obverse : Swastika with bull head ends.
5) Reverse : Taurine and other symbols.
6) Reference : Nil

(Note : These issues found in Ujjain but are known from Saurashtra -

55

Kathiawar region )

Uninscribed coins of Eran-Vidisha :

1)
Ruler : Uninscribed coins of Eran-Vidisha
4) Obverse : Tree in railing , Nadipada, Taurine in semicircle , Swastika ,
Triangular headed
standard River with fishes and tortoises below .
5) Reverse : Blank
6) Reference : Nil

56

1) Ruler : Uninscribed coins of Eran-Vidisha
4) Obverse : Tree in railing , Nadipada, Taurine in semicircle , Swastika ,
Triangular headed
standard River with fishes and tortoises below .
5) Reverse : Blank

57

1) Ruler : Uninscribed coins of Eran-Vidisha
4) Obverse : Tree in railing , Taurine in semicircle.
5) Reverse : Blank

Illustration of Coin (Reverse)

1) Ruler : City state of Bhadravati , Vidarbha region
2) Year : Unknown ( 200 BC ?)
3) Unit : Unknown ? , Copper
4) Obverse : Elephant standing to right , Standard above Elephant
5) Reverse : Tree in railing; Inscription: Bhadavati
6) Reference : Similar Coin was Published by Mr Prashant P Kulkarni in ICS

58

Newsletter No 1
( April 1990) as ' New Coins of Chhimuka Satavahana '
http://www.geocities.com/ancientcoinsofindia/ujain.htm

59

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