Coins of the Eastern Gangas ruler Anantavarman Chodaganga

This monograph demonstrates the Indus Script hypertexts on early punch-marked coins with some unique hieroglyph compositions related to metalwork wealth accounting. Punch-marked coin symbols. Map of coin hoard finds. धातु (Rigveda) dhāu (Prakrtam) 'a strand' rebus: dhāū, dhāv 'red stone minerals'. element, mineral ore; PLUS vrtta, vaṭṭa 'circle'. Ta. vaṭam cable, large rope, cord, bowstring, strands of a garland, chains of a necklace; vaṭi rope; vaṭṭi (-pp-, -tt-) to tie. Ma. vaṭam rope, a rope of cowhide (in plough), dancing rope, thick rope for dragging timber. Ka. vaṭa, vaṭara, vaṭi string, rope, tie. Te. vaṭi rope, cord. Go. (Mu.) vaṭiya strong rope made of paddy straw (Voc. 3150). Cf. 3184 Ta. tār̤vaṭam. / Cf. Skt. vaṭa- string, rope, tie; vaṭāraka-, vaṭākara-, varāṭaka- cord, string; Turner, CDIAL, no. 11212. (DEDR 5220) vaṭa2 ʻ string ʼ lex. [Prob. ← Drav. Tam. vaṭam, Kan. vaṭi, vaṭara, &c. DED 4268]N. bariyo ʻ cord, rope ʼ; Bi. barah ʻ rope working irrigation lever ʼ, barhā ʻ thick well -- rope ʼ, Mth. barahā ʻ rope ʼ.(CDIAL 11212) dhāī 'wisp of fibre' PLUS vaṭa, vaṭara, vaṭi string, rope, tie. Thus, it is possible that the trefoil as a hieroglyph-multiplex was signified in parole by the expression dhā̆vaḍ 'strands' rebus: dhā̆vaḍ 'smelter'. 1/8 Satamana. Gandhara Janapada. This image clearly demonstrates six strands --dhā̆vaḍ 'strands' rebus: dhā̆vaḍ 'smelter'. -- and relate the work of a smelter to a dotted circle which is dāya 'throw of one in dice' rebus: dhāi 'mineral ore'. https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces62989.html A "bent bar" shatamana from the Kuru and Panchala janapada, c.500-350 BCE Source: https://www.vcoins.com/ancient/saylesandlavender/store/viewitem.asp?idProduct=5939 Two coins are shown below: 1. The first Indian coins of Apollodotus used Indian symbols. These coins associated the elephant with the Buddhist Chaitya or arched-hill symbol, sun symbols, six-armed symbol, and a river. The bull had a Nandipada in front. The symbol at the top of the bull is only a mint mark. These symbols disappeared soon after, and only the elephant and the bull remained. 2. Taxila coin The coin on l. shows the 'nandipada' glyph in front of a zebu, bos indicus. I suggest that this 'nandipada' is a variant of the hypertext shown on a Taxila coin shown juxtaposed. The coin on r. Triratna symbol on a Taxila coin, 185-168 BCE (detail). This so-called tri-ratna symbol also appears on Sanchi Torana next to the architect's statue. This torana sculptural frieze clearly demonstrates the hieroglyph components of the hypertext called 'triratna'. This is neither tri-ratna nor a nandipada but a composite expression in Meluhha to signify dula 'pair' rebus: dul 'metal casting' + ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'alloy metal' + khambhaṛā 'fish-fin rebus: kammaṭa 'mint, coiner, coinage'.: dul ayo kammaṭa 'alloy metal casting mint' PLUS dala 'leaf petal' rebus: ḍhālako = a large metal ingot PLUS karã̄ n.' pl.wristlets, bangles' Rebus: khār 'blacksmith, iron worker'. Thus, the hypertexts of Taxila coin and also the hypertext on coin of Apollodotus signify a Meluhha expression: khār 'blacksmith' PLUS (working on) dul ayo kammaṭa ḍhālako 'alloy metal casting mint and ingots'. This hypertext gets repeated on the punch-marked coins together with the 'arrow' hieroglyph which signifies: kaṇḍa 'arrow' rebus: khaṇḍa 'equipment'. This variant expression including fish-fin tied together is clearly demonstrated in the 2nd century BCE dharmacakra of Amaravati. On this sculptural frieze of the wheel, the circumference of the spoked wheel is decorated with the 'fish-fin' hypertexts,together with the 'tri-ratna' orthographic variants. Emanating from the dotted circle in the middle are three strands ending with 1. Taxila coin hypertext; and 2. arrowheads. The rebus readings in Meluhha are: khār dul ayo kammaṭa ḍhālako AND khaṇḍa 'equipment', together with the dotted circle hypertext which signifies: dhā̆vaḍ 'smelter'. Thus, the entire composition on the vajra with ṣaṭkoṇa 'six spokes' is a metalwork catalogue, wealth accounting ledger. The first Indian coins of Apollodotus used Indian symbols. These coins associated the elephant with the Buddhist Chaitya or arched-hill symbol, sun symbols, six-armed symbol, and a river. The bull had a Nandipada in front. The symbol at the top of the bull is only a mint mark. These symbols disappeared soon after, and only the elephant and the bull remained. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Mauryan_coinage_of_Gandhara Shatamanas double-sigloi, bent bars and fractions from Gandhara.Together, the expression signified by 1) a dotted circle or 2) six circles with six strand is dhā̆vaḍ 'iron-smelter'

The Silver Damma: On the mashas, daniqs, qanhari dirhams and other diminutive coins of India, 600-1100 CE, 2018

The result of over a decade of study, this work presents in 423 pages a vast range of new material on a super-series of coins which uniquely bridges Hindu and Islamic India from the 7th century CE onwards; its interpretations open a whole new horizon in the numismatic history of early medieval India. The book comprehensively examines the nature and historical context of the earliest native tiny silver dammas as well as all their various Islamic and Hindu descendants, traversing the early coinages of Sindh, Punjab and ancient Gandhara, as well as the later Sindhi, Multani and Ghaznavid types, and subsequent coins from north-western and central India, covering the period from about 600 to 1100 CE. A survey of later coins from western, central and south India is included in the Addendum to the main work for the sake of completeness and to demonstrate the pervasiveness of the tiny silver damma over time and throughout India. Comprehensive descriptions, translations and historical notes are provided for every one of the hundreds of coin types, together with illustrations of one or more specimens of each, including line drawings where appropriate. Selected reviews: This book opens up a whole new horizon in early medieval monetary history... a key resource, of interest to a wide range of numismatic, historical and economic researchers and writers... It offers a wealth of new information, a most impressive corpus that will serve to guide and inform us for many years. – John S. Deyell, author of "Living Without Silver" Fishman and Todd lead us along the difficult trail of the silver damma of western India, an important coinage series that brought together the worlds of India and the Middle East in the medieval period. In thirteen dense chapters, they offer a significant description and understanding of the complex numismatics, especially the three dot coinage of Multan, but their study also raises important issues concerning the socioeconomic foundations of this critical period when major portions of India participated as equal partners in the maritime and overland commerce of the Caliphates. The book is highly recommended for professional numismatists, collectors, and scholars of the medieval period. – Derryl N. MacLean, author of "Religion and Society in Arab Sind", Simon Fraser University Fishman and Todd have produced an analysis and catalog of silver dammas that would have been unthinkable just a decade or two ago. These once obscure and poorly understood gems have a wealth of meaningful history attached, sure to entice the interest of coin collectors and historians. – Stephen Album, author of "Checklist of Islamic Coins"

Coins are as important as the inscription in history. They confirm the information derived fr om literature. They are of various metals – gold, silver, copper, or alloy and contain legends or simple marks. The coins are very important to the reconstruct of the ancient Indian history. It is a part of archaeological sources .Those with dates is prob ably very valuable for the framework of Indian chronology. Coins are almost our sole evidence with regarded to the Indo Scythian and Indo Bactrian King. The Bilingual coins had served as Rosetta Stones in deciphering the Ancient Indian writings. The purity of the metal reflects the financial conditions of the Gupta Empire. The inscription on the coin indicates territory over which the rulers ruled. Some coin throws significant light on the personal events of certain rulers. The discovery of the same kind of coins at different places helps up in fixing the coverage of various kingdoms in ancient India.

Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society), 1980

Studies in south Indian coins, 2020

This paper discusses new findings in Coins of Tamil country

Indus Script hieroglyphs shown on two Silver Karshapana (c. 4th-2nd cent. BCE, GH 477, GH 509) compare with the four hieroglyphs shown on a postage stamp issued in 2001 commemorating Chandra Gupta Maurya, the Emperor of Magadha. The Meluhha rebus readings of the four hieroglyphs on the postage stamp are: Sun's rays arka 'sun's rays' rebus: arka 'copper, gold'; څرخه ṯs̱arḵẖaʿh 'spinning wheel' rebus arka 'copper, gold, sun's rays' Dotted circle and six arms emanating from centre manjhi 'centre, middle' Rebus mã̄jhī 'cargo boat with raised platform'; kāṇḍa, kã̄ṛ ʻstalk, arrow ʼ (Oriya)(CDIAL 3023). ayaskāṇḍa 'a quantity of iron, excellent iron' (Pāṇ.gaṇ) Rebus: khaṇḍa, khāṇḍā 'tools, pots and pans, metalware'; khambhaṛā 'fish fin' Rebus:kammaṭa, kambār̥a signify 'coiner (mint)/blacksmith' Three pillars skambhá1 m. ʻ prop, pillar ʼ RV. 2. ʻ *pit ʼ (semant. cf. kūˊpa -- 1). [√skambh] 1. Pa. khambha -- m. ʻ prop ʼ; Pk. khaṁbha -- m. ʻ post, pillar ʼ; Pr. iškyöp, üšköb ʻ bridge ʼ NTS xv 251; L. (Ju.) khabbā m., mult. khambbā m. ʻ stake forming fulcrum for oar ʼ; P. khambh, khambhā, khammhā m. ʻ wooden prop, post ʼ; WPah.bhal. kham m. ʻ a part of the yoke of a plough ʼ, (Joshi) khāmbā m. ʻ beam, pier ʼ; Ku. khāmo ʻ a support ʼ, gng. khām ʻ pillar (of wood or bricks) ʼ; N. khã̄bo ʻ pillar, post ʼ, B. khām, khāmbā; Or. khamba ʻ post, stake ʼ; Bi. khāmā ʻ post of brick -- crushing machine ʼ, khāmhī ʻ support of betel -- cage roof ʼ, khamhiyā ʻ wooden pillar supporting roof ʼ; Mth. khāmh, khāmhī ʻ pillar, post ʼ, khamhā ʻ rudder -- post ʼ; Bhoj. khambhā ʻ pillar ʼ, khambhiyā ʻ prop ʼ; OAw. khāṁbhe m. pl. ʻ pillars ʼ, lakh. khambhā; H. khām m. ʻ post, pillar, mast ʼ, khambh f. ʻ pillar, pole ʼ; G. khām m. ʻ pillar ʼ, khã̄bhi, ˚bi f. ʻ post ʼ, M. khã̄b m., Ko. khāmbho, ˚bo, Si. kap (< *kab); -- X gambhīra -- , sthāṇú -- , sthūˊṇā -- qq.v.2. K. khambürü f. ʻ hollow left in a heap of grain when some is removed ʼ; Or. khamā ʻ long pit, hole in the earth ʼ, khamiā ʻ small hole ʼ; Marw. khã̄baṛo ʻ hole ʼ; G. khã̄bhũ n. ʻ pit for sweepings and manure ʼ. Garh. khambu ʻ pillar ʼ.(CDIAL 13369) Rebus: Ta. kampaṭṭam coinage, coin. Ma. kammaṭṭam, kammiṭṭam coinage, mint. Ka. kammaṭa id.; kammaṭi a coiner.(DEDR 1236) Tree-on-railing kuṭa2, ˚ṭi -- , ˚ṭha -- 3, ˚ṭhi -- m. ʻ tree ʼ lex., ˚ṭaka -- m. ʻ a kind of tree ʼ Kauś.Pk. kuḍa -- m. ʻ tree ʼ; Paš. lauṛ. kuṛāˊ ʻ tree ʼ, dar. kaṛék ʻ tree, oak ʼ ~ Par. kōṛ ʻ stick ʼ IIFL iii 3, 98.(CDIAL 3228) kuṭi 'tree' Rebus: kuṭhī 'warehouse, factory'; dhamkara'leafless tree' Rebus: dhangar'blacksmith'. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.19 gm., Dim: 16 x 17 mm. Ref: GH 477. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.14 gm., Dim: 13 x 13 mm. Ref: GH 509. The Coin Galleries: Mauryan Empire The Mauryan empire grew out of the Magadha janapada and kingdom. The empire was founded around 322 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya, a man of humble origins who usurped the Magadhan throne of the Nandas. The Magadhan kingdom was already large and Chandragupta expnded it further. The Seleucid emperor, Seleucos I, ceded to him all the Greek lands south of the Hindu Kush mountains. Thus his empire stretched through modern Pakistan into Afghanistan. Chandragupta is said to have given up the throne in order to become an ascetic. His son, Bindusara, continued the expansion of the empire, as did his grandson, Ashoka. However, after witnessing the aftermath of a particularly bloody battle during the Mauryan conquest of Kalinga in modern-day Orissa, Ashoka was overwhelmed with remorse and decided to abandon war altogether. He converted to Buddhism and started to follow a policy of non-violence, spreading the pacifist philosophy of the Buddha throughout his empire and also to other countries through emissaries sent out for that purpose. The Mauryan empire survived for some 50 years after the death of Ashoka, but was eventually overthrown when a general in the army, Pushyamitra Sunga, usurped the throne. The approximate chronology of the Mauryan kings is as follows: Chandragupta (322-298 BCE) Bindusara (298-272 BCE) Ashoka (272-232 BCE) Dasaratha (232-224 BCE) Samprati (224-215 BCE) Salisuka (215-202 BCE) Devavarman (202-195 BCE) Satadhanvan (195-187 BCE) Brihadratha (187-185 BCE) The Mauryan coinage consisted almost exclusively of silver karshapanas of roughly 3.4 gm, a series that continued the Magadha karshapana series. Almost all Mauryan coins have five punches, as did the Magadhan coins before them ... a sun, a "6-arm symbol" and three others. Some of the last coins in the series also had a punch on the reverse of the coin. Over time, the flans became smaller and thicker. The economy must have been very prosperous, as the coins seem to have been minted in the millions. Large hoards of Mauryan coins are found to this day and, as a result, the coins are quite inexpensive, especially considering their age. Unfortunately, we do not know what the punches signify, nor do we know exactly which coins were issued by which kings. Indeed, we are not even sure where the Magadhan series ends and the Mauryan series begins. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.19 gm., Dim: 16 x 17 mm. Ref: GH 477. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.43 gm., Dim: 15 x 14 mm. Ref: GH 506. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.14 gm., Dim: 13 x 13 mm. Ref: GH 509. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.01 gm., Dim: 15 x 14 mm. Ref: GH 510. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.15 gm., Dim: 12 x 12 mm. Ref: GH 512. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.38 gm., Dim: 13 x 15 mm. Ref: GH 516. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.35 gm., Dim: 13 x 14 mm. Ref: GH 519. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.06 gm., Dim: 16 x 15 mm. Ref: GH 524. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.38 gm., Dim: 16 x 9 mm. Ref: GH 530. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.43 gm., Dim: 11 x 15 mm. Ref: GH 534. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.22 gm., Dim: 13 x 17 mm. Ref: GH 543. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.36 gm., Dim: 13 x 12 mm. Ref: GH 549. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.08 gm., Dim: 14 x 17 mm. Ref: GH 550. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.29 gm., Dim: 13 x 13 mm. Ref: GH 552. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.37 gm., Dim: 11 x 16 mm. Ref: GH 555. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.46 gm., Dim: 13 x 16 mm. Ref: GH 561. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.42 gm., Dim: 16 x 15 mm. Ref: GH 566. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.28 gm., Dim: 15 x 14 mm. Ref: GH 568. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 2.90 gm., Dim: 14 x 13 mm. Ref: GH 570. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.25 gm., Dim: 12 x 16 mm. Ref: GH 573. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.38 gm., Dim: 16 x 15 mm. Ref: GH 574. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 2.99 gm., Dim: 15 x 14 mm. Ref: GH 575. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.27 gm., Dim: 11 x 14 mm. Ref: GH 582. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 2.96 gm., Dim: 10 x 15 mm. Ref: GH 591. Silver karshapana c. 4th-2nd century BCE Weight: 3.24 gm., Dim: 12 x 15 mm. Ref: GH 595. https://coinindia.com/galleries-maurya.html Osmund Bopearachchi, 2000, Coin Production and Circulation in Central Asia and North-West India (Before and after Alexander’s Conquest)” Translated from French into English: Indologica Taurinensia, Official Organ of the International Association of Sanskrit Studies, Vol. 25, 1999-2000, pp. 15-121. Introduction In the last few years, because of accidental finds and illegal excavations, alarge number of hoards that included a really colossal amount of Graeco-Bactrian, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Parthian and Kushan coins havebeen discovered in Afghanistan and Pakistan.1 The numbers themselves leadus to modify the idea that we could have had of the monetary mass that hascirculated in these regions. The present paper aims at tracing the rough outlinesand the various decisive stages of production and circulation in Central Asiaand North-West India in the light of older coin hoards and newer ones thatwere discovered recently. https://www.academia.edu/15798938/_Coin_Production_and_Circulation_in_Central_Asia_and_North_West_India_Before_and_after_Alexander_s_Conquest_