Punch marked coins
Encyclopedia
The first coins in India were minted
around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanapadas
of the Indo-Gangetic Plain
, and certainly before the invasion of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. The coins of this period were punch marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana. Several of these coins had a single symbol, for example, Saurashtra had a humped bull, and Dakshin Panchala
had a Swastika
, others, like Magadha
, had several symbols. These coins were made of silver
of a standard weight but with an irregular shape. This was gained by cutting up silver bars and then making the correct weight by cutting the edges of the coin.
They are mentioned in the Manu
, Panini, and Buddhist Jataka
stories and lasted three centuries longer in the south than the north (600BCE-300CE)".
During the Mauryan period, punch marked coins continued to be issued in large quantities, these are a continuation of the Magadha Kingdom
coinage as the ruling house of this empires established the Mauryan Empire. They contained on average 50-54 grains of silver in each coin depending on wear and 32 ratti
s in weight Manu smruti, and earlier coins are flatter than later coins. Punches on these coins count to 450 with the most common the sun
and six-armed symbols, and various forms of geometrical patterns, circles, wheels, human figures, various animals, bows and arrows, hills and trees etc. Many are barly discernible for what they could be.
The basic coin is called the Karshapana (pana) in numismatic terms but the Arthasastra stated there are at least 4 denominations of silver coins in pana, ardhapana (half pana), pada (quarter pana) and ashta-bhaga, or arshapadika (one-eighth pana). But only the Karshapana is found. There is no issues found of the other denominations even though cut coins are found.
The style of these coins is not artistic, but they do show recognizable designs such as Buddhist Shrine
s and Chaitya
, or animals such as the elephant
, horse
, lion
, etc. On the reverse side of the coins is depicted the so-called Ujjain
symbol, which is "a cross with four circles at the end of the two crossing lines."
In the image on the right, the obverse has Bust of the king with an Asokan Brahmi
legend in Prakrit
: "Siri Satakanisa Rano ... Vasithiputasa". The reverse has a Ujjain/Sātavāhana symbol facing left. Crescented six-arch chaitya hill right and a River below. Tamil Brahmi legend: "Arahanaku Vahitti makanaku Tiru Hatakaniko."
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanapadas
Mahajanapadas
Mahājanapadas , literally "great realms", were ancient Indian kingdoms or countries...
of the Indo-Gangetic Plain
Indo-Gangetic plain
The northern Plains also known as the Indo - Gangetic Plain and The North Indian River Plain is a large and fertile plain encompassing most of northern and eastern India, the most populous parts of Pakistan, parts of southern Nepal and virtually all of Bangladesh...
, and certainly before the invasion of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. The coins of this period were punch marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana. Several of these coins had a single symbol, for example, Saurashtra had a humped bull, and Dakshin Panchala
Panchala
Panchala is an ancient region of northern India, which corresponds to the geographical area around the Ganges River and Yamuna River, the upper Gangetic plain in particular. This would encompass the modern-day states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. During the ancient times, it was home to a...
had a Swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
, others, like Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
, had several symbols. These coins were made of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
of a standard weight but with an irregular shape. This was gained by cutting up silver bars and then making the correct weight by cutting the edges of the coin.
They are mentioned in the Manu
Manu Smriti
' , also known as Mānava-Dharmaśāstra , is the most important and earliest metrical work of the Dharmaśāstra textual tradition of Hinduism...
, Panini, and Buddhist Jataka
Jataka
The Jātakas refer to a voluminous body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of the Buddha....
stories and lasted three centuries longer in the south than the north (600BCE-300CE)".
- Shurasena
- Surashtra
Mauryan Period (322–185BCE)
Magadha Kingdom
Magadha was a kingdom ruled by non-Vedic kings. Jarasandha was the greatest among them during epic times. His capital was Rajagriha or Rajgir a modern hill resort in Bihar. Jarasandha's continuous assault on the Yadava kingdom of Surasena resulted in their withdrawal from central India to western...
coinage as the ruling house of this empires established the Mauryan Empire. They contained on average 50-54 grains of silver in each coin depending on wear and 32 ratti
Ratti
A ratti is a traditional Indian unit of mass measurement, and has now been standardized as 0.12125 gram. It was measured by ratti seed. This seed is actually "Abrus precatorius" seed.*1 tola = 12 masha or 11.67 gram...
s in weight Manu smruti, and earlier coins are flatter than later coins. Punches on these coins count to 450 with the most common the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and six-armed symbols, and various forms of geometrical patterns, circles, wheels, human figures, various animals, bows and arrows, hills and trees etc. Many are barly discernible for what they could be.
The basic coin is called the Karshapana (pana) in numismatic terms but the Arthasastra stated there are at least 4 denominations of silver coins in pana, ardhapana (half pana), pada (quarter pana) and ashta-bhaga, or arshapadika (one-eighth pana). But only the Karshapana is found. There is no issues found of the other denominations even though cut coins are found.
The style of these coins is not artistic, but they do show recognizable designs such as Buddhist Shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s and Chaitya
Chaitya
A chaitya is a Buddhist or Jain shrine including a stupa. In modern texts on Indian architecture, the term chaitya-griha is often used to denote assembly or prayer hall that houses a stupa.-History:...
, or animals such as the elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, etc. On the reverse side of the coins is depicted the so-called Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
symbol, which is "a cross with four circles at the end of the two crossing lines."
In the image on the right, the obverse has Bust of the king with an Asokan Brahmi
Brāhmī script
Brāhmī is the modern name given to the oldest members of the Brahmic family of scripts. The best-known Brāhmī inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka in north-central India, dated to the 3rd century BCE. These are traditionally considered to be early known examples of Brāhmī writing...
legend in Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
: "Siri Satakanisa Rano ... Vasithiputasa". The reverse has a Ujjain/Sātavāhana symbol facing left. Crescented six-arch chaitya hill right and a River below. Tamil Brahmi legend: "Arahanaku Vahitti makanaku Tiru Hatakaniko."