Emergence of Viṣṇu and Śiva Images in India: Numismatic and Sculptural Evidence

Spread & significance of Harappa Script hieroglyphs and profiles of metalworkers of Bharata on Bharhut and Sanchi friezes. It is demonstrated by systematic data ininining that all the hieroglyphs/hypertexts on ancient coins of Bharata are knowledge discovery of the tradition of Harappa Script cipher to render in rebus Meluhha, metalwork catalogues, documing the contributions of artisans/seafaring merchants to Bronze Age Revolution. वृष्णि is a term in Rigveda. A Vrishni silver coin from Alexander Cunningham's Coins of Ancient India: From the Earliest Times Down to the Seventh Century (1891) (loc.cit., Lahiri, Bela (1974). Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 200 B.C.E to 320 C.E.), Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp.242 3). वृष्णि [p= 1013,2] वृष्ण्/इ or व्/ऋष्णि, mfn. manly , strong , powerful , mighty RV.m. a ram VS. TS. S3Br.m. a bull L.m. a ray of light L.m. N. of शिव MBh.m. of विष्णु-कृष्ण L.m.of इन्द्र L.m. of अग्नि L.m. pl. N. of a tribe or family (from which कृष्ण is descended , = यादव or माधव ; often mentioned together with the अन्धकs) MBh. Hariv. &cn. N. of a सामन् A1rshBr. (Monier-Williams) An identical ancient silver coin (perhaps produced from the same ancient mint) of Vrishni janapada ca. 10 CE with kharoṣṭhī, Brahmi inscriptions and Harappa Script hieroglyphs was sold in an auction in Ahmedabad (August 2016) for Rs. 27 lakhs. In fact, the treasure is priceless and defines the heritage of Bhāratam Janam, 'metalcaster folk' dating back to the 7th millennium of Vedic culture. It signifies a spoked wheel which is the centre-piece of Bharat's national flag. I suggest that the successful bidder in Ahmedabad auction should volunteer to donate it to the National Museum, Janpath, New Delhi as a treasure to be cherished by the present and future generations of Bhāratam Janam. It is a composite animal with ligatured elephant-tiger pictorial motifs. It signifies a skambha topped by a pair of fish-fins (khambhaṛā 'fish-fin' rebus: kammaṭa 'mint'.). It is a tiger (kola 'tiger' rebus: kol 'blacksmith'). It is an elephant (karba, ibha 'elephant' rebus: karba, ib 'iron' ibbo 'merchant'). It is a yupa with caṣāla signifying a Soma samsthā Yāga. It is a cakra, a vajra in Vedic tradition (eraka 'nave of wheel' rebus: erako 'moltencast' eraka, arka 'copper, gold'). arā 'spokes' rebus: āra 'brass' kund opening in the nave or hub of a wheel to admit the axle (Santali) Rebus: kunda 'turner' kundār turner (A.) It is a professional calling card of a metalcaster, e.g. dhokra kamar who is a śilpi, artificer of cire perdue bronze and metal alloy pratimā. सांगड sāṅgaḍa 'joined animal', rebus: sangaDa ‘lathe’ sanghaṭṭana ‘bracelet’ rebus 1: .sanghāṭa ‘raft’ sAngaDa ‘catamaran, double-canoe’rebusčaṇṇāḍam (Tu. ജംഗാല, Port. Jangada). Ferryboat, junction of 2 boats, also rafts. 2 jangaḍia 'military guard accompanying treasure into the treasury' ചങ്ങാതം čaṇṇāδam (Tdbh.; സംഘാതം) 1. Convoy, guard; responsible Nāyar guide through foreign territories. rebus 3: जाकड़ ja:kaṛ जांगड़ jāngāḍ‘entrustment note’ जखडणें tying up (as a beast to a stake) rebus 4: sanghāṭa ‘accumulation, collection’ rebus 5. sangaDa ‘portable furnace, brazier’ rebus 6: sanghAta ‘adamantine glue‘ rebus 7: sangara ‘fortification’ rebus 8: sangara ‘proclamation’ 9: samgraha, samgaha 'arranger, manager'. On the VRSNi coin, tiger and elephant are joined to create a composite hyperext. This is Harappa Script orthographic cipher. The orthographic style of creating 'composite animals' is also evident from the following examples of artifacts: Terracotta. Tiger, bovine, elephant, Nausharo NS 92.02.70.04 h. 6.76 cm; w. 4.42; l. 6.97 cm. Centre for Archaeological Research Indus Balochistan, Musée Guimet, Paris. harappa.com "Slide 88. Three objects (harappa.com) Three terra cotta objects that combine human and animal features. These objects may have been used to tell stories in puppet shows or in ritual performances. On the left is a seated animal figurine with female head. The manner of sitting suggests that this may be a feline, and a hole in the base indicates that it would have been raised on a stick as a standard or puppet. The head is identical to those seen on female figurines with a fan shaped headdress and two cup shaped side pieces. The choker with pendant beads is also common on female figurines. Material: terra cotta Dimensions: 7.1 cm height, 4.8 cm length, 3.5 cm width Harappa, 2384 Harappa Museum, HM 2082 Vats 1940: 300, pl. LXXVII, 67 In the center is miniature mask of horned deity with human face and bared teeth of a tiger. A large mustache or divided upper lip frames the canines, and a flaring beard adds to the effect of rage. The eyes are defined as raised lumps that may have originally been painted. Short feline ears contrast with two short horns similar to a bull rather than the curving water buffalo horns. Two holes on either side allow the mask to be attached to a puppet or worn as an amulet. Material: terra cotta Dimensions: 5.24 height, 4.86 width Harappa Harappa Museum, H93-2093 Meadow and Kenoyer, 1994 On the right is feline figurine with male human face. The ears, eyes and mouth are filled with black pigment and traces of black are visible on the flaring beard that is now broken. The accentuated almond shaped eyes and wide mouth are characteristic of the bearded horned deity figurines found at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (no. 122, 123). This figurine was found in a sump pit filled with discarded goblets, animal and female figurines and garbage. It dates to the final phase of the Harappan occupation, around 2000 B. C. Harappa, Lot 5063-1 Harappa Museum, H94-2311 Material: terra cotta Dimensions: 5.5 cm height, 12.4 cm length, 4.3 cm width https://www.harappa.com/indus/88.html masks/amulets Slide72. Two composite anthropomorphic / animal figurines from Harappa. Whether or not the attachable water buffalo horns were used in magic or other rituals, unusual and composite animals and anthropomorphic/animal beings were clearly a part of Indus ideology. The ubiquitous "unicorn" (most commonly found on seals, but also represented in figurines), composite animals and animals with multiple heads, and composite anthropomorphic/animal figurines such as the seated quadruped figurines with female faces, headdresses and tails offer tantalizing glimpses into a rich ideology, one that may have been steeped in mythology, magic, and/or ritual transformation. Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D) of the larger figurine: 3.5 x 7.1 x 4.8 cm. (Photograph by Richard H. Meadow) See: https://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/01/multiplex-as-metaphor-ligatures-on.html The pellet border is composed of: goṭā 'seed', round pebble, stone' rebus: goṭā ''laterite, ferrite ore' 'gold braid' खोट [ khōṭa ] f A mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down). The railing for the pillar is Vedi, sacred fire-altar for Soma samsthā Yāga. There is evidence dated to ca. 2500 BCE for the performance of such a yajna in Binjor (4MSR) on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati. The fire-altar yielded an octagonal pillar, which is detailed in ancient Vedic texts as a proclamation of Soma samsthā Yāga. Three hour-glass shaped vajra-s are shown in a cartouche below the yupa on the coin. Normally Vajrapani is shown such a vajra which has octagonal edges. kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi, kole.l 'smithy, forge' kole.l 'temple' It is a record of the performance of a Soma samsthā Yāga. It is Vrishni Janapada coin of ca. 10 CE. Cakra, pavi in Vedic tradition is also a vajra. Rudra is vajrabāhu 'vajra weapon wielder'; said also of Agni and Indra. ... वज्र [p=913,1] mn. " the hard or mighty one " , a thunderbolt (esp. that of इन्द्र , said to have been formed out of the bones of the ऋषि दधीच or दधीचि [q.v.] , and shaped like a circular discus , or in later times regarded as having the form of two transverse bolts crossing each other thus x ; sometimes also applied to similar weapons used by various gods or superhuman beings , or to any mythical weapon destructive of spells or charms , also to मन्यु , " wrath "RV. or [with अपाम्] to a jet of water AV. &c ; also applied to a thunderbolt in general or to the lightning evolved from the centrifugal energy of the circular thunderbolt of इन्द्र when launched at a foe ; in Northern Buddhist countries it is shaped like a dumb-bell and called Dorje ; » MWB. 201 ; 322 &c ) RV. &c; a diamond (thought to be as hard as the thunderbolt or of the same substance with it) , Shad2vBr. Mn. MBh. &c; m. a kind of column or pillar VarBr2S.; m. a kind of hard mortar or cement (कल्क) VarBr2S. (cf. -लेप); n. a kind of hard iron or steel L. Vrishni Tribal Silver Coin Realises A Whopping Rs. 27-Lakhs in Ahmedabad Auction 10 Aug 2016 Wed A beautiful silver drachm issued by the Republic of Vrishni People between 10 and 40 CE was auctioned off by Classical Numismatic Gallery at the Coin and Currency Fair that was held between August 5th and 7th at Ahmedabad. The obverse of this rare silver coin bears a standard topped by a nandipada finial with an elephant’s head and the forepart of a leaping lion below it in an ornamental railing. The Brahmi legend reads “(Vr)shni Rajana Ganasya Tratarasya”. The reverse bears an ornate 14-spoked wheel with a scalloped outer rim along with the legend in Kharoshthi which reads “Vrshni Rajana Ganasa (Trata)...” The coin is of a Very Fine grade and is Exceedingly Rare. While Classical Numismatic Gallery estimated the price between Rs. 1 Lakh and Rs. 1.5 Lakh, the final price realised in the auction was a jaw-dropping Rs. 27 Lakhs!

2019

Coins as a symbol of ideas and ideals, working behind the mind of the rulers at different periods, open up a most comprehensive and interesting study. Although references to coins occur in the early Indian Literature, punch-marked coins are found the earliest ones spread over a large area 2 from Pakistan in the northwest to Tamilnadu (India) in the south; from Taxila (Pakistan) in the west to Chandraketugarh (India) in the east. These comprise both silver and copper coins; in the first group, bent bar coins from Taxila are also included. Their chronology is not definite, however, their beginning may be assigned to the sixth-fifth century BC.

Pushpa Prakshan, 2021

Before the Buddhist era, unfortunately, no written records are available to throw light on the socio-political history of ancient India. Purana texts are loaded with myths and heavy corruption, making them mostly unreliable. The Vedic religious texts, though boast of their religious supremacy, the available physical proofs speak otherwise. There is a misconception that there ever was the Vedic Age, but no proof has surfaced so far to substantiate this claim. Vedic texts claim many things drawing an imaginary timeline of the Vedas being first followed by Brahmanas, Upanishads, Smriti, Purana era, etc. Linguistics also heavily depends on this imaginary timeline and attempts to draw a picture that is far from the truth. But what is the fact?

On the Gāndhāra Bodhisatta terracotta, the ornamented hairstyle emergs out of the mouth of a lion, like a garland. dama, 'garland' held for worship is related to rebus to dhāū, dhāv 'a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to ironʼ. The lion is an Indus Script hypertext: arya 'lion' (Akkadian) rebus: āra 'brass'. Thus, the sculptural metaphor is the wealth-creation by a smelter of copper, brass and red ferrite ores. https://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php?title=File:DSC00494.JPG Gāndhāra. Terracotta. Bodhisattva, enlightened being Dated: ~4th century CE Note the lion disgorging Jewellery(Mala), a motif also seen in Vishnu sculptures. "The head of a bodhisattva from Gāndhāra displays the Greco-Roman features typically associated with this early cosmopolitan culture of what is today northwest Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. The striking facial features and wavy locks were modeled in clay, whilst the lion mask spewing strings of pearls on the headgear and earrings appear to have been made in a mold (Chong, Alan. 2013. “Buddhist Figural Sculpture.” In Devotion and Desire: Cross-Cultural Art in Asia: New Acquisitions of the Asian Civilisations Museum, 17. Singapore). The urna (tuft of hair) at the center of the forehead is a subtle indentation, unlike the protrusion more often found on stone images of this time." https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/the-new-ancient-religions-gallery-at-the-asian-civilisations-museum-singapore Pair of Lions with Attendant. Date: 3rd-5th century; Culture: Pakistan Asokan Pillar with Lion Capital (c.250 BCE) Vaishali, Bihar, India. Rampurva. Lion capital. Decorated with hamsa, geese. Rampurva.Bihar. Rampurva. Bull capital Bihar Ancient Near East: Traditions of smelters, metallurgists validate the Bronze Age Linguistic Doctrine. https://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/06/asur-metallurgists.html Bull capital on Asoka pillar, Rampurva. This was set atop the pillar using an inscribed copper bolt with Indus Writing. Altar, Pyrenees (South of France). I Century BC (The altar shows a svastika and a fish – both are Sarasvati hieroglyphs of Indus writing.) In the context of metallurgists' or stone work, the glyphs read rebus: ayo 'fish' Rebus: ayo 'metal' (Gujarati) satthiya 'svastika glyph' Rebus satthiya, jasta 'zinc' (Kashmiri. Kannada); sattva 'zinc' (Prakrit) Location Rampurwa, Champaran, Bihar, India Date Upto 3rd century BC ca 299-200 BCE Description Plaster of Paris Stucco, 200 x 135 cm Status Architectural fragment Presently located at: Calcutta, Indian Museum View Overview Image Identification Accession No 36104 Negative No 249.87 American Institute of Indian Studies, Varanasi Notes American Institute of Indian Studies, Varanasi "According to Cunningham, who wrote about the pillars says, that he excavated the surrounding of the site and disconnected its broken Capital from the shaft. The Capital was fastened to the shaft by a solid barrel shaped bolt of pure copper, measuring two and a half feet long and 5-5/16 inches in diameter at the centre and tapered slightly towards the ends where its circumference was 3-5/8 inches. The bolt projected exactly half its length or 1-1/4 inches from the shaft, and the projecting portion received the Capital; both ends were beautifully fitted into the stone, thus dispensing with any cement substance to firmly hold it together. The copper bolt was an exquisite piece of work, created into shape apparently with a hammer. The bolt is now kept in the Indian Museum, Kolkata and weighs 79 ½ lbs." Ref: Cunningham, ASI, XVI, pp.110-117; Carlleyle, CASI, XXII, pp.51-57; An. Rep., ASI, 1902-3, pp.38-40; 1907-8, pp.181-88; An Rep., ASI, E.C. 1906-7, p.16; 1912-13, p.36; BDG, Champaran, pp. 172-74. https://bhpromo.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=54 The bolt is apparently forged into form by hammer after being cast. This is confirmed by the inscription on the bolt written in Indus writing. The lexeme is: koṭe ‘forging (metal)(Munda) The bronze bolt discovered in the Rampurva bull capital pillar should also have been used on the Rampurva lion capital pillar. Background narrative, dawn of Bronze Age Linga Purana describes Asura as linga worshippers. (LXXXI, 24-37.) Could the linga pillars found in Dholavira be an attestation of this worship? ‘The Vedic struggle’, Banerji-Sastri concludes, ‘drove the Asura from the Indus Valley; the epic conflict routed them in the Madhyadesa and the subsequent readjustment lost them the Gangetic Valley and pushed them southwards. The Nagas were the spearhead and backbone of the Asura people in India. Daityas, Danavas, Rakshasas, Kalakanyas, Kaleyyas, Nivatakavachas, Paulomas, etc., are offshoots and families. With the downfall of the Nagas ended organized Asura supremacy in India. And the remnants of Nagas who once ruled Gosringa in Khotan, had to seek shelter in places still bearing their name, e.g. Nagpur, Chota Nagpur, and are today completely absorbed in the Dasa aborigines haunting woods, mountain fastnesses, and desolate regions, of the jungles of Assam, of Chota Nagpur and the Vindhya range.’ (A. Banerji-Sastri, ‘The Asuras in Indo-Iranian Literature, JBORS, Vol. XII, pp. 110 ff.) This interpretation of the narrative is challenged by Satish Chandra Roy. (SC Roy, ‘The Asuras: Ancient and Modern’, JBORS, Vol. XII, pp. 147 ff.) His view was that we have here a reflection of the worldwide contest between the denizens of the Stone Age and the new metal-working people, who invaded and disturbed it. He referred to a ‘widespread tradition among the Mundas and several other aboriginal tribes of Chota Nagpur of the previous occupation of the country by a metal-using people called the Asuras who are said to have been routed by the Mundas with the help of their deity Sing-bonga. The iron-smelting activities of the Asura, tradition says, greatly disturbed the even tenor of existence of the Munda and other deities who were as yet innocent of the use and manufacture of metals.’ This monograph seeks to dethrone the ruling linguistic paradigm of 'Aryan invasion' as a Linguistic doctrine and replaces this doctrine with Bronze Aze Linguistic Doctrine validating Indian sprachbund as a reality of ancient times. As we attempt to clear the mists of history and see through the dominant idiom which explains a language-speech-area described as a language union (for e.g. Indian sprachbund), many lexemes of languages of the sprachbund demonstrate the essential features of the language union seen in many metalware/metallurgical terms, together with about 8000 cognate semantic clusters ofIndian Lexicon -- a compendium of Munda, Dravidian and Indo-Aryan lexemes. The demonstration is a process involving rebus readings of hieroglhyphs of Indus Writing, a process which yields the core semantic features of Meluhha (mleccha), the lingua franca of the sprachbund.

2014

The coinage of Vijayanagar and the later successor state of Mysore is relatively unique among Indian coin series in that a number of coin types have close sculptural parallels. In this brief paper, I will point out a few of these, using two specific cases, reliefs of Hanumān and the gold varāhas of Hari Hara I and Bukka I, and the statue of Bālakṛṣṇa from the Kṛṣṇa Temple in Hampi and the Bālakṛṣṇa type coins of Kṛṣṇadevarāya, to illustrate how the observation of the close parallel between sculpture and coins can yield us insights into the coinage and the historical context that might not otherwise be obtainable.

India’s living mythology is unique among world cultures, and it is reflected in all aspects of its civilization. While a misnomer, its ‘33 crore Gods and Goddesses’ are to be found in all spheres of life in India, and numismatics is no exception. This paper aims to document all the important coins with deities in ancient Indian numismatic history. The time frame in question is around 6th century BC when coins were first produced, down to the Gupta era in around 500 CE. Though this is primarily an account of the deities issued on coins, the paper also traces some parallel religious and iconographic developments through the eras.

Published in the Souvenir of COINEX, Pune 2023

This monograph presents evidence of ancient coins of India to prove that so-called Śrivatsa, nandipāda, triratna symbol (and variants) constitute Indus Script Hypertexts, descriptive mint metalwork catalogues. The plain text of the Indus hypertext of the frequently used symbol or hieroglyph-multiplex, reads: dhatu ayo ḍhāḷako kammaṭa 'mineral, alloy metal, large ingot, mint'. Mahavamsa XXV,28 uses two words from this Indus Script text: ayo kammata. Here is an attestation from Ananda Coomaraswamy's note: [quote] Ayas: not in the Dictionary. This word is always used for iron... Mahavamsa, XXV, 28, ayo-kammata-dvara, "iron studded gate " (of a city) ; ib., 30, ayo-gulath, " iron balls "; ib., XXIX, 8, ayo-jala, an iron trellis used in the foundations of a stfipa. Reference might have been made to the iron pillars at Delhi and Dhar, and the use of iron in building at Konarak. [unquote] (Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Indian Architectural terms, in: American Oriental Society, Vol. 48, 1928, pp.250-275). Obverse:elephant PLUS five other Indus script hypertexts Reverse: four Indus Script hypertexts including dotted circle + fish-fin pair '-- dhatu dul ayo kammaṭa, 'mineral, alloy metal, metal casting mint' hypertext. Purushkapura Kanishka Stupa See: Bharhut stupa toraṇa: Architectural splendour of Meluhha Indus Script hieroglyphs, dharma-dhamma pilgrimage https://tinyurl.com/q97poy2 1899 engraving showing the remnants of the Kanishka stupa in Shaji-ki-Dheri. (84 meter diameter, original height> 200 meters!) Source: Gandhara,Philip von Zabern,2010.Identification of this Gandhara relief sculpture with the Kanishka Stupa: Hans Loeschner, “Money Talks ! Ancient Values Exchanged through Monetary Objects, Coins and Sealings“, pp. 2 - 15 in “It‘s a Deal! Dynamic Transactions“, Eds. Robert F. Lawson & Carol S. Lawson Chrysalis Reader @ 2012 Swedenborg Foundation Press The "Kanishka casket", dated to 127 CE, with the Buddha surrounded by Brahma and Indra, and Kanishka standing at the center of the lower part, British Museum. It was discovered in a deposit chamber under the monumental Kanishka stupa (described by Chinese pilgrims in the 7th century as the tallest stupa in all India), during the archeological excavations in 1908-1909 in Shah-ji-Dheri on the outskirts of Peshawar. It is said to have contained three bone fragments of the Buddha,[1] which were forwarded to Burma by the British following the excavation,[2] where they still remain. The casket is today at the Peshawar Museum, and a copy is in the British Museum. The casket is dedicated in Kharoshthi. The inscription reads: "(*mahara)jasa kanishkasa kanishka-pure nagare aya gadha-karae deya-dharme sarva-satvana hita-suhartha bhavatu mahasenasa sagharaki dasa agisala nava-karmi ana*kanishkasa vihare mahasenasa sangharame" "In the acceptance (i.e. for the acceptance) of the Sarvāstivādin teachers, this perfume box is the meritorious gift of Mahārāja Kanishka [ . . . jasa Kani] in the city of Kanishkapura [Kanishkapure nagare]. May (it) be for the welfare and happiness of all beings. . . . sa, the superintendent of construction of the refectory in Kanishka's vihāra [nashkasa vihare], in Mahāsena's saṁghārāma [Mahasenasa saṁgharame]." [3] "The servant (dasa) Agnisala, the superintendent of works at the vihara of Kanishka in the monastery of Mahasena" ("dasa agisala nava-karmi ana*kaniskasa vihara mahasenasa sangharame"). agnisala, is the refectory of the monastery. ( Prudence R. Myer: Again the Kanishka Casket, In: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 48, No. 3/4 (Sep.–Dec., 1966), pp. 396–403) Detail of the Buddha, surrounded by cherubs, with devotee or bodhisattva Detail of Kanishka, surrounded by the Sun-God and the Moon-God. A garland, supported by cherubs goes around the scene in typical Hellenistic style. Detail of the flight of sacred geese, or hamsa. The Bimaran Casket or reliquary on display in the British Museum, with a depiction of the Buddha, surrounded by Brahma (left) and Śakra (right). The Bimaran casket or Bimaran reliquary is a small gold reliquary for Buddhist relics that was found inside the stupa no.2 at Bimaran, near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. When it was found by the archaeologist Charles Masson during his work in Afghanistan between 1833 and 1838, the casket contained coins of the Indo-Scythian king Azes I. The most recent research however (2015) attributes the coins to Indo-Scythian king Kharahostes or his son Mujatria, who minted posthumous issues in the name of Azes. (DATING AND LOCATING MUJATRIA AND THE TWO KHARAHOSTES by Joe Cribb, 2015, p.27 et sig) The steatite box that contained the Bimaran casket. The Bimaran casket was kept in a steatite box, with inscriptions stating that it contained some relics of the Buddha. When opened in the 19th century, the box did not contain identifiable relics, but instead some burnt pearls, bead of precious and semi-precious stones, and the four coins of Azes II. The inscriptions written on the box are [2]: Main body of the container: "Shivaraksita mumjavamdaputrasa danamuhe niyadide bhagavata sharirehi sarvabudhana puyae" "Sacred gift of Shivaraksita, son of Munjavamda; presented for Lord's relics, in honour of all Buddhas" (Translation by Fussman) Lid of the container: "Shivaraksita mumjavamdaputrasa danamuhe bhagavata sharirehi" "Gift of Shivaraksita, son of Munjavamda; presented for Lord's relics" in honour of all Buddhas" (Translation by Fussman) Lid of the container: "Shivaraksita mumjavamdaputrasa danamuhe bhagavata sharirehi" "Gift of Shivaraksita, son of Munjavamda; presented for Lord's relics" The archeological find of the Azes II coins inside the casket would suggest a date between 30 BCE to 10 BCE. Azes II would have employed some Indo-Greek artists in the territories recently conquered, and made the dedication to a stupa. The coins are not very worn, and would therefore have been dedicated soon after their minting. Indo-Scythians are indeed known for their association with Buddhism, as in the Mathura lion capital. Such date would make the casket the earliest known representation of the Buddha: "In the art of Gandhara, the first known image of the standing Buddha and approximatively dated, is that of the Bimaran reliquary, which specialists attribute to the Indo-Scythian period, more particularly to the rule of Azes II"(Christine Sachs, "De l'Indus à l'Oxus")... The four coins in the Bimaran casket are of the same type: tetradrachms of debased silver in the name of Azes, in near-new condition.On the obverse they show a king on a horse to the right with right hand extended, with a three-pellet dynastic mark and a circular legend in Greek. The legend reads in corrupted Greek WEIΛON WEOΛΛWN IOCAAC(that is, ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΖΟΥ) "King of Kings Azes". On the reverse appears a figure of Tyche standing and holding a cornucopia, with a Kharoshthi legend.The legend reads 'Maharajasa mahatasa Dhramakisa Rajatirajasa Ayasa "The Great king followower of the Dharma, King of Kings Azes..." " One of the coins of the Bimaran casket, illustrated by Charles Masson.[5][6] Obv. Azes riding, with corrupted Greek legend (WEIΛON WEOΛΛWN IOCAAC) for ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΖΟΥ "King of Kings Azes", and Buddhist Triratna symbol behind the head of the king. Rev. City goddess Tyche standing left holding cornucopia and raised right hand. Kharoshthilegend Maharajasa mahatasa Dhramakisa Rajatirajasa Ayasa "The Great king followower of the Dharma, King of Kings Azes". Coin of Kharahostes, in the name of Azes. Obv. Azes riding, with corrupted Greek legend (WEIΛON WEOΛΛWN IOCAAC) for ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΖΟΥ "King of Kings Azes", and Buddhist Triratna symbol behind the head of the king. Rev. City goddess Tyche standing left holding cornucopia and raised right hand. Kharoshthilegend Maharajasa mahatasa Dhramakisa Rajatirajasa Ayasa "The Great king followower of the Dharma, King of Kings Azes" Left image: Dynastic mark (in front of the horse) on the coins of the Bimaran casket, British Museum . Right image: Dynastic mark on a coin of Kharahostes. The coins types and dynastic mark on the coins of the Bimaran Casket are characteristic of Kharahostes.("The crossroads of Asia", edited by Ellizabeth Errington and Joe Cribb, The ancient India and Iran Trust, 1992) The rare coins of Kujula Kadphises with a tripartite mark resembling the three-pellet mark of Kharahostes (here on the reverse), have coin types ("Laureate head and king seated") which are totally different from those of the Bimaran reliquary. And this is the only issue of Kujula where this symbol appears (https://grifterrec.rasmir.com/kushan/kushan.html ) The three-pellet symbol mark is not known from any other ruler either (apart from the son of Kharahostes Mujatria), Early Buddhist imagery includes coins of Indo-Greek kings such as Menander II (left, circa 90–85 BCE), in which Zeus, through Nike, hands a wreath of victory to a Wheel of the Law, or the Tillya Tepe Buddhist coin (right, 1st c.BCE-1st c.CE). Tillya Tepe coin: Obverse: The legend in Kharoshthi reads Dharmacakrapravata[ko] "The one who turned the Wheel of the Law".On the reverse, it depicts a lion with the Buddhist symbol of the triratna, with the Kharoshthi legend Sih[o] vigatabhay[o] "The lion who dispelled fear". Kushana chronology (Hans Loeschner, 2011)

Sangam texts and ancient coins of India trace roots in 1. Vedic culture continuum of dhā̆vaḍ 'smelter', 2. Indus Script metalwork hieroglyphs Sangam texts and ancient coins trace 1. Vedic culture continuum, 2. Indus Script hieroglyphs, it is posited that the Indian sprachbund is exemplified by Meluhha lexis with a vocabulary set consistent with hieroglyph-multiplexes read rebus on Indus Script Corpora to signify catalogus catlogorum of metalwork. This puts the distortions about Aryan-Dravidian divide in ancient Indian history to rest. The veneration of Rudra-Siva as an aniconic linga and fire-worship/fire-work with smelters/furnaces in smithy/forge are central to the fervor of enquiry and artisanal work by all Bharatam Janam, of Indian sprachbund. Those who posited a linguistic divide within Bharatam have to re-visit their arguments laden with bizarre, untenable linguistic propositions of arbitrarily conceived 'language families'. The sprachbund was in tune with the cultural milieu where all languages and dialects absorbed features from one another and made them their own; this defines a linguistic area of Meluhha, the spoken version of Prakritam, referred to by Saussure in French as parole ‘speech’ as distinct from langue ‘language’.. Many Sangam text references to yajna tradition are in the context of wealth creation and distribution. The Sangam corpus of texts is a celebration of the Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization traditions of work with fire-altars and documentation of metalwork on Indus Script inscriptions. The priest seen on a statue of Mohenjodaro is celebrated as Potti 'temple priest' in Kerala and Tamil Nadu traditions. पोतृ प्/ओतृ or पोतृ, m. "Purifier" in a fire-altar working with metals in smelters/furnaces/fire-altars. He is a dhā̆vaḍ 'smelter' as deciphered from the single, double and three dotted circles adorning his shawl and fillets on forehead and right shoulder. Hieroglyph of dotted circle: dhā̆v 'strand of rope'. Rebus: dhamaka 'blacksmith' (blower of wind-pipe) The process of transmuting minerals into metal is a 'purification' proces in alchemical terms. पोतृ is one of 16 priests from Vedic times. A cognate word is Potti, 'temple priest'. "There are Pottis of Kerala origin and Tulu origin, who came to Malabar region as temple priest in the 16th-century. Those who migrated from South Kanara to the Malabar are known as Embrandiri or Embranthiri, while those who settled in Shivalli were known as "Shivalli Brahmins", they continue to be based in Udupi or Sivalli in South Kanara."(A Sreedhara Menon (1 January 2007). A Survey Of Kerala History DC Books Kerala (India); C. K. Kareem (1976). Kerala District Gazetteers: Palghat, Superintendent of Govt. Presses). போற்றி pōṟṟi , < id. n. 1. Praise, applause, commendation; புகழ்மொழி. (W.) போத்தி pōtti , n. < போற்றி. 1. Grandfather; பாட்டன். Tinn. 2. Brahman temple- priest in Malabar; மலையாளத்திலுள்ள கோயிலருச்சகன். पोतृ [p= 650,1] प्/ओतृ or पोतृ, m. "Purifier" , N. of one of the 16 officiating priests at a sacrifice (the assistant of the Brahman ; = यज्ञस्य शोधयिट्रि Sa1y.)RV. Br. S3rS. Hariv. The veneration is of pottha-kara 'modellers in clay' and pō̃ta artisans casting in metal. The trefoil hieroglyph is a semantic rendering of pot 'to perforate'. Three perforations are shown on the shawl of the Mohenjo-daro statuette, since the perforations occur in a smithy. kolom 'three' Rebus: kolimi 'smithy, forge'. Thus, together, the phrase is: Hieroglyph: kolom pota 'three perforated beads' Rebus: kolimi pottha-kara pō̃ta 'smithy-forge modeller in clay (metalcaster), casting in metal'. On the hammered gold fillet shown on the forehead of the statuette: Fillet with hanging ribbons falling down the back. పట్టము [ paṭṭamu ] paṭṭamu. [Skt.] n. A gold band or fillet tied on the forehead of one at the time of coronation. See powerpoint slide embedded. பட்டன் paṭṭaṉ, n. < bhaṭṭa. 1. Learned man, scholar; priest. cf. bhaṭa 'furnace'. Hieroglyph multiplex of trefoil occurs on the following contexts as semantic determinatives of the phoneme: pō̃ta 'casting in metal'. See: https://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/11/priest-of-dhavad-iron-smelters-with.html Priest of dhā̆vaḍ 'iron-smelters' with Indus script hieroglyphs signifies पोतृ,'purifier' of dhāū, dhāv 'red stone minerals' The 'endless knot' hieroglyph can be interpreted as composed of two related semantics: 1. strand of rope or string; 2. twist or curl Twisted rope as hieroglyph: dhāˊtu *strand of rope ʼ (cf. tridhāˊtu -- ʻ threefold ʼ RV., ayugdhātu -- ʻ having an uneven number of strands ʼ KātyŚr.) S. dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ, L. dhāī˜ f.(CDIAL 6773 ) Rebus: dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour) ʼ Mn.Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ)(CDIAL 6773). A prime example of such a lexis is Hemacandra's Deśi NAmamAlA with Deśi or Prakritam vocabulary. See full text at https://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/12/an-array-of-indus-script-hieroglyphs-to.html See: https://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/11/sangan-age-adhiyaman-coin-with-indus.html (Clockwise from top) The coin found by numismatist R Krishnamurthy; and the impression of the front and the back of the coin. Rebus readings of Indus Script hieroglyphs: karibha 'elephant trunk' ibha 'elephant' Rebus: ib 'iron' karb 'iron' (Kannada) bhaTa 'warrior' Rebus: bhaTa 'furnace'. jasta 'svastika hierogypy' rebus: sattva 'zinc, spelter'. karNaka 'rim of jar' Rebus: karNI 'supercargo' karNika 'scribe, account'. khaNDa 'sword' Rebus: khANDA 'metal implements'. Comparable to the Adhiyaman Sangam coin are hundreds of coins with Indus Script hieroglyphs found in Sri Lanka categorised as Punch-marked coins, Tree and Swastika coins, Elephant and Swastika coins and Lakshmi plaques. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-modern_coinage_in_Sri_Lanka "Some of the more popular symbols are Sun, Moon (crucible), elephant, bull, nandipada (twist), fish and peacock." arka 'sun' rebus: arka, eraka 'copper, moltencast'; kuThAra 'crucible' rebus: kuThAru 'armourer'; karibha 'elephant trunk' ibha 'elephant' rebus: karba 'iron'; ib 'iron'; barad, balad 'bull' rebus: bharata 'alloy of copper, pewter, tin'; meDha 'twist' rebus: meD 'iron', med 'copper'; ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'alloy metal'; mora 'peacock' rebus: morakkaka loha 'a kind of steel'. • A rectangular Nandi Bull coin • A Pandyan Nandi Bull coin • The reverse of the Bull coin with two Pandyan fish • The reverse of another Pandyan Bull coin • A Pallava lion coin • The reverse of the Pallava lion coin • An Elephant and Fish coin • A temple between hill and elephant coin of the Pandyas, 1st century, Ceylon, British Museum poLa 'zebu' rebus: poLa 'magnetite' ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal' kuThAra 'warehouse' rebus: kuThAru 'armourer' dAng 'mountain range' rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith' mEDu 'hillock' rebus: meD 'iron' med 'copper' (Slavic) dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'cast metal' Thus, two fishes signify cast iron or metal alloy casting. Obverse, reverse. Lakshmi. svastika. Coins of the Chera Dynasty from about 500 BCE found in Kandarodai. kola 'woman' rebus: kol 'working in iron' kolle 'blacksmith' kolhe 'smelter'.jasta 'svastika hieroglyph' rebus: sattva 'zinc, spelter'. Obverse, reverse. karibha 'elephant trunk' ibha 'elephant' rebus: karba 'iron'; ib 'iron'; jasta 'svastika hieroglyph' rebus: sattva 'zinc, spelter'. Obverse, reverse. kuTi 'tree' rebus: kuThi 'smelter' jasta 'svastika hieroglyph' rebus: sattva 'zinc, spelter'. This Sarasvati_, firm as a city made of metal, flows rapidly with all sustaining water, sweeping away in its might all other waters, as a charioteer (clears the road). [Firm as a city: dharuṇam a_yasi pu_h = ayasa nirmita puri_va; dharuṇam = dharuṇa, dha_rayitri_, supporter]. "After all the people had set out, the ocean flooded Dvaraka, which still teemed with wealth of every kind. Whatever portion of land was passed over, the ocean immediately flooded over with its waters." Krishna foresees the upheaval in Dwaraka and advises Yadu-s to start on a pilgrimage, beyond Prabhasa (Somnath) After Krishna’s atman departs the mortal body--- विवृद्ध मूशिकारथ्या विभिन्नमणिकास्तथा केशानखाश्च सुप्तानामद्यन्ते मूशिकैर्निशी (MBh., Mausala, 2.5) चीचीकूचीति वाशन्ति सारिका वृष्णिवेश्मसु नोपशाम्यति शब्दश्च स दिवारात्रमेव हि (MBh., Mausala, 2.6) अन्वकुर्वन्नुलूकानाम् सारसा विरुतं तथा अजाः शिवानाम् विरुतमन्वकुर्वत भारत (MBh., Mausala, 2.7) Streets swarmed with rats and mice, earthen pots showwed cracks or were broken from no apparent cause, sarika_s chirped ceaselessly day and night, sa_ras hooted like owls, goats cried like jackals, pigeons departed from their homes, and asses brayed aloud in disconsonant and awful voices (Ganguly, 1998). निर्याते तु जने तस्मिन् सागरो मकरालयः द्वारकां रत्नसंपूर्णं जलेन प्लावयत् तदा (MBh., Mausala, 7.41) तदद्भुतमभिप्रेक्ष्य द्वारकावासिनो जनाः तूर्णात् तूर्णतरम् जग्मुरहो दैवकितिब्रुवन् (MBh., Mausala, 7.43) The sea, the abode of monsters, engulfed the gem-filled Dwraka with waves soon after the people departed the place. Seeing this astounding incident, the citizens of Dwaraka ran away, exclaiming, ‘O, our fate’. (Ganguly, 1998). •Migration from Tuvarai (Dwaraka) in 12th century inscription (Pudukottai State inscriptions, No. 120) cited by Avvai S. Turaicaami in Puṟanāṉūṟu, II (SISSW Publishing Soc., Madras, 1951). •துவரை மாநகர் நின்ருபொந்த தொன்மை பார்த்துக்கிள்ளிவேந்தன் நிகரில் தென் கவரி நாடு தன்னில் நிகழ்வித்த நிதிவாளர் Ancestors of Chief VeLir called IrunkOvEL was tuvarApati (King of Dwaraka) were of 49 generations ago notes this Puṟanāṉūṟu Sangam Age poem 201