Bi-lingual coins in India: Its origin and Antiquity (original) (raw)
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A FEW ASPECTS OF BI-LINGUAL COINS OF SATAVAHANAS AND THEIR CONTEMPORARIES
Studies in South Indian Coins, Vol. 19, 2009
Bi-lingual coins issued in the Indian Sub-continent may be classified in two groups. They are: 1] Issued by the alien (Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Parthian, Kushans and Shakas or Western Kshatrapas) governors / rulers who controlled the North-west part of India; 2] the Indian kings who either governed or had trade contact with two different linguistic provinces or groups. The bi-lingual silver coins of the Satavahanas fall in to the second category i.e., either governed or had trade relation with different linguistic groups. This paper discusses the bi-lingual silver coins of the Satavahanas and attributes the reverse legend to Tamil language
AN INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT INDIAN 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.
-- Indus Script hieroglyphs are: ibha 'elephant' rebus ib 'iron'; pola 'zebu' rebus: pola 'magnetite' These are good examples of continuum of Indus Script and Meluhha tradition of Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization in ancient Indian mints. Thanks to Prof. Vivek Dangi (whose article is appended) for courtesy of a silver coin image. Although Apollodotus I issued Attic weight tetradrachms, typical for Bactrian coinage, it is likely he ruled only south of the Hindu Kush, with the Attic weight tetradrachms, which are very rare, being largely ceremonial and a nostalgic look back at the days when his clan ruled in Bactria. He pioneered the "Indian standard" coinage that became the normal standard among all subsequent Indo-Greek kings. Bopearachchi dates reign of Apaladatasa to c. 174-165 BCE. http://coinindia.com/galleries-apollodotus1.html The coins are likely from Khokhrakot (Rohtak, Haryana) mint. Image Courtesy; Vivek Dangi Obverse: Elephant standing right, monogram below, Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ / AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY / ΣΩTHPOΣ Reverse: Humped bull standing right, monogram below, Kharoshthi legend around: Maharajasa / Apaladatasa / tratarasa c. 174-165 BCE 2.21 gm.15 x 16 mm.MIG 207i, Bop 4G First silver coin of Indo-Greeks to enjoy wide circulation. Indo-Greek: Apollodotus I, Silver Attic weight hemidrachm, c. 174-165 BCE Weight: 1.74 gm., Diam: 14 mm., Die axis: 12 h Elephant walking right, Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY ΣΩTHPOΣ / Humped bull walking right, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa apaladatasa tratarasa Apollodotus's initial issue south of the Hindu Kush was this round Attic weight hemidrachm, with a nominal weight of 2.12 gm. It must not have found acceptance with the local population, as he abandoned it soon after (judging by the scarcity of this type) and switched to a square format coin reflecting the shape of the Mauryan karshapanas and a new weight standard of about 2.45 gm. Indo-Greek: Apollodotus I, Silver "Indian" weight drachm, c. 174-165 BCE Weight: 2.38 gm., Dim: 15 x 16 mm., Die axis: 12 h Elephant walking right, Greek legend on three sides: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY ΣΩTHPOΣ monogram below / Humped bull standing right, Kharoshthi legend on three sides: maharajasa apaladatasa tratarasa This was the "Indian style and standard" coin that replaced the previous one. These coins are relatively common.
"(Mauryan) 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..." http://coinindia.com/galleries-maurya.html Millions of Rosetta Stones deploy Indus Script Cipher -- paharaṇa mudra (punches) on coins of ancient mints from Takṣaśila to Anuradhapura are emphatic evidence for the continued use of Meluhha metalwork catalogues -- aka Indus Script Inscriptions -- to proclaim metallurgical repertoire of ancient mints. Millions of ancient coins exemplify the major contribution made by technologies of metalwork wealth to the cumulative wealth of the nation. This is evidenced by the fact that Ancient India contributed to 33% of World GDP in 1 CE (pace Angus Maddison). In my view, the Indus Script Hypertexts/Hieroglyphs proclaimed on millions of ancient coins of India are conclusive validation of the Indus Script Inscriptions as Meluhha metalwork wealth accounting ledger catalogues. This monograph presents only a few snippets (brief extracts) of evidences from Ancient coins of historical periods (Before Common Era) from mints. These coins constitute Rosetta Stones for Indus Script. Why were particular 'symbols' chosen to be impressed on ancient coins of mints in an extensive area ranging from Takṣaśila to Anuradhapura? The answer lies in the continuum of Meluhha (spoken form of Bharatiya sprachbund), Indus Script Cipher tradition to create accounting ledgers of wealth created by metalwork. The mints were the manufactories of metalwork of ancient times during the Metals Age. Indus Script Hieroglyphs/Hypertexts -- all of which constitute metalwork repertoire of mints to create the wealth of nations. The period relates to the Metals Age which constituted the World's First Industrial Revolution. All the coins punching Indus Script Hieroglyphs/Hypertexts recorded metalwork catalogues, and proclaimed them as wealth accounting ledgers of the mint which issued the coins. "Metals were well suited to represent wealth, owing to their great commodity value per unit weight or volume, and their durability, divisibility and rarity. The best metals for coinage are gold, silver, platinum, copper, tin, nickel, aluminum, zinc, iron, and their alloys; certain alloys of gold, silver, copper and nickel have the best combination of the required qualities. The first mint was likely established in Lydia in the 7th century BC, for coining gold, silver and electrum. The Lydian innovation of manufacturing coins under the authority of the state spread to neighboring Greece, where a number of city-states operated their own mints. Some of the earliest Greek mints were within city-states on Greek islands such as Crete; a mint existed at the ancient city of Cydonia on Crete at least as early as the fifth century BCE." At about the same time, mints also appeared in Ancient India from Takṣaśila to Anuradhapura (UKBullion, Cydonia – The Ancient City of Crete, UKBullion Blog, 23 March 2016) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mint\_(facility) GK Chesterton's Invisible Man is an extraordinary detective story. Here is an excerpt with the famous statement of the famous detective Father Brown, 'nobody ever notices postmen somehow'. Many decipherment claims on Indus Script have somehow missed the postmen of the Script. There are literally millions of ancient coins from mints of an extensive area from Takṣaśila to Anuradhapura which continued to use Indus Script Hieroglyphs and Hypertexts with an astonishing regularity proclaiming the repertoire of the mints -- metalworkshops of the Metals Age Revolution Before Common Era. [quote] “You are not mad,” said Brown, “only a little unobservant. You have not noticed such a man as this, for example.” He took three quick strides forward, and put his hand on the shoulder of an ordinary passing postman who had bustled by them unnoticed under the shade of the trees. “Nobody ever notices postmen somehow,” he said thoughtfully; “yet they have passions like other men, and even carry large bags where a small corpse can be stowed quite easily.” The postman, instead of turning naturally, had ducked and tumbled against the garden fence. He was a lean fair-bearded man of very ordinary appearance, but as he turned an alarmed face over his shoulder, all three men were fixed with an almost fiendish squint. [unquote] See: Harappa Script continuum on punch-marked coin symbols.Insights of Fabri et al validated by Meluhha Script cipher http://tinyurl.com/gu24z4h This is a tribute to Pran Nath, KN Dikshit and CL Fabri who had provided insights citing parallels between Harappa (Indus Script) and symbols on Punch-marked coins. See: Ancient Indian paharaṇa mudra 'struck' coins signify metalwork wealth of Bronze Age Bhāratam, as Indus script hieroglyphs & hypertext expressions https://tinyurl.com/y7gqnuqv What do the symbols on ancient Indian coins (e.g. punch-marked coins or cast coins with embossed/inscribed symbols) signify? This monograph posits Indus Script continuum and hyertexts on ancient Indian coins as signifiers of metalwork wealth-creation activities in ancient mints -- which are a legacy of the Bronze Age Tin-Bronze revolution mediated by seafaring merchants and artisans of ancient Bhāratam. This is in continuation of http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2017/07/ujjain-nandipada-srivatsa-ancient-coin.html Mirror: https://tinyurl.com/yaljqnhb 'Ujjain', 'nandipāda', 'śrīvatsa' ancient coin symbols are Indus Script metalwork hypertexts Punch-marked coins are referred to as paharaṇa mudra in Indian sprachbund (language union). The symbols on such ancient coins signify wealth of metalwork, a continuum of Indus Script tradition of rebus rendering in Meluhha of metalwork wealth account ledger entries (kharaḍā). This kharaḍā, wealth account ledger entries is signified by the Indus Script Hieroglyph Sign 176 khareḍo 'a currycomb (Gujarati) Rebus: karaḍā खरडें 'daybook, wealth-accounting ledger'. Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (Gujarati) The symbols on ancient coins signify metalwork wealth produced in ancient mints. With the decipherment of Meluhha script & langauge of the Corpora of Inscriptions dated from ca. 3300 BCE (which is the date of the Harappa potsherd with three inscribed hieroglyphs signifying tagara 'tabernae montana' rebus: tagara 'tin'), it is now possible to delineate a glossary of hieroglyphs and readings in Meluhha for the parallels identified in a brilliant and lucid article of 1834 in JRAS. Find spots of ancient coins of India Find spots of late hoards of India Punch-marked coins JOURNAL ARTICLE A Survey of Late Hoards of Indian Punch-marked Coins ELIZABETH ERRINGTON The Numismatic Chronicle (1966-) Vol. 163 (2003), pp. 69-121 http://www.jstor.org/stable/42667165 http://coinindia.com/Fifty%20Coins%20map.jpg The Emergence and Spread of Coins in Ancient India -- Deme Raja Reddy (2014) Abstract This communication describes the emergence and spread of coins in ancient India. The barter system of exchange of goods was prevalent in ancient India from the Vedic period. The Indus valley people may have used precious metals of fixed weights such as silver for buying goods which is evident from excavations in the DK area at Mohenjo-Daro. But eventually barter method gave way slowly to the money economy through the medium of coins for their obvious advantages. The origin of coins, also known as metallic money in India dates back to the sixth–seventh centuries BC and it is probable that Lydia, India and China invented coinage around the same time and also independent of each other. The emergence of coinage was one of the important monetary innovations in ancient India. The formation of ‘janapadas’ and the evolution of the second urbanization were the catalysts for the invention of coinage. The money economy originated in India during the ‘janapada’ period and it grew markedly during the Magadha, Nanda and Mauryan rule which needed the maintenance of a huge army as well as official machinery to run the big empire. Coinage and urbanization which are linked also facilitated the growth of trade in the country internally as well as with other countries. Maritime trade prospered especially with Rome during the Satavahana rule in the Deccan. The lack of trade barriers between ‘janapadas’ and the presence of local rulers even during the rule of major dynasties might have contributed to the growth of trade.
“Coins in Ancient India : Technology and their illustration
In Ancient period available evidences in respect of the oldest coinage of India reveal that due to unsuitable medium (Cows, Indra and Soma plant) for store or as the object of high value for long term saving , an alternative medium nishka (an ornament) was introduced by the Vedic people. The Jatakes, the Vedic texts and Satapatha Brahmana mentioned that the nishk latter use as like currency. Hiranyapinds used for making ornaments.in Ancient India coins play a vital role in society,culture & economy
This monographs demonstrates that early punch-marked coins of Bhāratīya Monetary System of coinage documented a continuum of Indus Script cipher tradition to inscribe on the coins, catalogues of wealth-accounting metalwork ledgers. Early Bhāratīya coinage is anepigraphic, i.e. the coins are without a legend and early punch-marked coins bore hieroglyphs on one side or on both sides. In contrast, a legend characterised ancient Greek coinage typically with busts of kings or deities. Many views are expressed about the exchange of ideas for design of coins between Bhāratīya tradition dating back to the Tin-Bronze Age days of Sarasvati Civilization (ca. 3300 BCE) and to the Indo-Greek/Greek tradition of coinage exemplified by the Lydia coins dated to ca. 7th century BCE. Surprisingly, this Lydia coinage deploys Indus Script hieroglyphs -- most significantly the most frequent hypertext one-horned young bull. Indus script hypertext: 1. Dots emanating from the mouth of the lion; 2. Profile of the lion 3. Feline paw 4. Profile of the one-horned young bull with rings on neck. The hypertexts are read rebus in Meluhha Bhāratīya sprachbund (speech union): 1. gota 'round stone, pebble' rebus:goti 'silver'; 2. arye 'lion' rebus: ara, āra 'brass'; panja 'feline paw' rebus: panja 'kiln, furnace'; 4. खोंड (p. 216) [khōṇḍa] m A young bull, a bullcalf; खोंडा [ khōṇḍā ] m A कांबळा of which one end is formed into a cowl or hood. खोंडरूं [ khōṇḍarūṃ ] n A contemptuous form of खोंडा in the sense of कांबळा-cowl (Marathi. Molesworth); kōḍe dūḍa bull calf (Telugu); kōṛe 'young bullock' (Konda) koṭiyum 'rings on neck; a wooden circle put round the neck of an animal' (Gujarati.) Rebus: kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’ (Bengali) kunda 'nidhi of Kubera'; Ka. kundaṇa setting a precious stone in fine gold; fine gold; kundana fine gold. Tu. kundaṇa pure gold. Te. kundanamu fine gold used in very thin foils in setting precious stones; setting precious stones with fine gold.(DEDR 1725). Thus, the opposition posited on the narrative legend on the Lydia coin is a contention between kundana 'fine gold' signified by khōṇḍa 'young bull calf' and ara, āra or aes or 's'm (assem -- Egyptian), or soma 'electrum, i.e. gold with silver or electrum or brass alloy' signified by arye 'lion'. Quintus Curtius- Rufus, notes that Omphis, the king of Taxila presented 80 talents of marked silver (signati argenti) to Alexander.' (Kirankumar Thaplyal & Prashant Srivastava, Coins of Ancient India, p. 16). The expression signati argenti is generally interpreted as coined silver money (NOT as silverbullion). The 80 talents of signati argenti may thus refer to punch-marked silver coins marked or punched with Indus Script hieroglyphs. Archaeological evidence which supports this literary text of Quintus Curtius-Rufus is as follows: At Bhir Mound of Taxila, a silver hoard was discovered (1924) with 1055 very worn punch-marked coins (signifying extensive money circulation), in addition to two coins of Alexander and one coin of Aridaeus which were in mint condition. (Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India, No.59, pp.1-2.) The Bhir Mound is dated to ca. 4th century BCE; thus evidencing that coined money was in circulation in the region well before the arrival of Alexander. Alexander Cunningham makes the following observations about the antiquity of the punch-marked coins of the Bhir Mound pre-dated Alexandeer: "The Indian Monetary System was essentially original as it differed from the Greek and from all other systems, in its unit of weight as well as its scale of multiples. Its nomenclature was also quite different and the common form of money was not round, but square...(hence) no hesitation in stating that the Indian Monetary System is the original invention of the Hindu mind...How old these punch-marked coins may be, it is difficult to say. They were certainly in use in the time of Buddha, i.e. 6th century BCE. But I see no difficulty in thinking that they might have been in vogue as early as 1000 BCE. "(Alexander Cunnigham, Coins of Ancient India, p.43.) The date of ca. 1000 BCE posited by Cunningham bring the Bhāratīya Monetary System close in time to the final Harappan phase of Sarasvati Civilization exemplified by the metalwork symbolised by Anthropomorphs of Sheorajpur. (See: Anthropomorphs dharma samjña. Position analysis of Indus Script hypertexts Sign 389, Sign 387 bun-ingot shape (oval) + 'twig', 'riceplant' rebus: ‘smelter’ ‘smithy’ https://tinyurl.com/y7a6htzw). Indus Script decipherment has demonstrated the significance of the following hypertexts/hieroglyphs to signify metalwork catalogues as wealth-accounting ledgers: See: Cluster analysis of Indus writing system design principle, of 33 sāṅgāḍī 'joined parts'; Field symbols for samgaha wealth categories catalogues for accounting ledgers https://tinyurl.com/y8p7b8q2 It has been demonstrated that Dotted circle) signifies dhā̆vaḍ 'iron smelter'., occurs with high frequency with the following signs and Triplet The triplet signifies baran, bharat ‘mixed alloys’ (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin) entered in the daybook and handed to seafaring supercargo for transport. See: Validation of metalwork catalogues using select Indus Script inscriptions, sign design and positional analysis of signs by Sundar Ganesan et al (2009) https://tinyurl.com/ycyrg5yp The hypertext of 'dotted circle' of Indus Script Corpora which reads and signifies dhā̆vaḍ 'iron smelter' as a wealth-accounting ledger category becomes the dominant hieroglyph on early, ca. 1000 BCE punch-marked coins of Bhāratīya Monetary System. Punch-markied coins use this hypertext with semantic expansion of expressions related mint work. पण a weight of copper used as a coin (= 20 माषs = 4 काकिनीs) (मनु-स्मृति, याज्ञवल्क्य); a partic. measure (पाणिनि 3-3 , 66 ("a handful" -- Sāyaṇa ); wealth , property, business (Monier-Williams) kārṣāpaṇa or Punch-marked coins are referred to as Purāṇa, i.e. older than Greek coins.कार्षा* पण mn. (g. अर्धर्चा*दि ; cf. कर्ष्) " weighing a कर्ष " , a coin or weight of different values (if of gold , = 16 माषs » कर्ष ; if of silver , = 16 पणs or 1280 Kowries , commonly termed a Kahan ; if of copper , = 80 रक्तिकाs or about 176 grains ; but accord. to some = only 1 पण of Kowries or 80 Kowries)(मनु-स्मृति viii , 136 ; 336 ; ix , 282); (ifc.) worth so many कार्षापणs (पाणिनि. 5-1 , 29. ). The cognates of कर्ष् is: Ta. kācu (< Te.; Voc. 663). / ? Cf. Skt. karṣa-. (DEDR 1431) kārṣāpaṇá m.n. ʻ a partic. coin or weight equivalent to one karṣa ʼ. [karṣa -- m. ʻ a partic. weight ʼ Suśr. (cf. OPers. karša -- ) and paṇa -- 2 or āpana -- EWA i 176 and 202 with lit. But from early MIA. kā̆hā°]Pa. kahāpaṇa -- m.n. ʻ a partic. weight and coin ʼ, KharI. kahapana -- , Pk. karisāvaṇa -- m.n., kāhāvaṇa -- , kah° m.; A. kaoṇ ʻ a coin equivalent to 1 rupee or 16 paṇas or 1280 cowries ʼ; B. kāhan ʻ 16 paṇas ʼ; Or. kāhā̆ṇaʻ 16 annas or 1280 cowries ʼ, H. kahāwan, kāhan, kahān m.; OSi. (brāhmī) kahavaṇa, Si. kahavuṇa, °vaṇuva ʻ a partic. weight ʼ. kāˊrṣāpaṇika ʻ worth or bought for a kārṣāpaṇa ʼ Pāṇ. [kārṣāpaṇá -- ]Pa. kāhāpaṇika -- , Or. kāhāṇiã̄; †*kārṣū -- f. ʻ furrow, trench ʼ ~ karṣūˊ -- with dial. IA. a for ā < IE. o as in Av. karšū ʻ ploughed land ʼ and in karṣí -- ~ kāˊrṣi -- T. Burrow BSOAS xxxviii 70, Turner BSOAS xxxvi 429. Pa. kāsū -- in aṅgāra -- kāsū -- f. ʻ fire -- pit ʼ..(CDIAL 3080, 3081) See: karṣí ʻ furrowing ʼ Kapiṣṭh. [Cf. kāˊrṣi -- ʻ ploughing ʼ VS., karṣūˊ -- f. ʻ furrow, trench ʼ ŚBr.: √kr̥ṣ]Pr. kṣe_ ʻ plough -- iron ʼ, Paš. kaṣí ʻ mattock, hoe ʼ; Shum. káṣi ʻ spade, pickaxe ʼ; S. kasī f. ʻ trench, watercourse ʼ; L. kass m. ʻ catch drain, ravine ʼ, kassī f. ʻ small distributing channel from a canal ʼ; G. kã̄s m. ʻ artificial canal for irrigation ʼ -- Dm. Phal. khaṣīˊ ʻ small hoe ʼ perh. X khánati.Addenda: karṣí -- (kaṣĭ̄ -- f. ʻ spade ʼ lex.). [Like Av. karšivant<-> ʻ cultivator ʼ < IE. *kworsi -- with alternative development of IE. o ~ kāˊrṣi -- , kārṣīvaṇa -- ʻ cultivator ʼ T. Burrow, BSOAS xxxviii 63, 70; cf. karṣūˊ -- ~ †*kārṣū -- Turner BSOAS xxxvi 425](CDIAL 2909). Jātaka stories which depict life in 6th-5th centuries BCE refer to contacts between Bhāratīya merchants and Baveru (Babylonia) merchants. The possibility of the Babylonian 'shekels' (525 BCE) -- based on the weight system of 132 grains being influenced by Bhāratīya Monetary System of paṇa -- based on the weight system of 56 grains and also the weight of raktikā, abrus precatorious seed, with an average weight of 1.8 grains -- cannot be ruled out, while the source of silver may be traced to the Meluhha (mleccha, 'copper (workers)' contact regions of Ancient Near East.) The weight of the Achaemenian sytem of sigloi is based on its weight of 56 grains. An Achaemenian coin does show the Indus Script hypertext of an archer: kamaḍha 'archer, bow' Rebus: kammaṭa 'mint, coiner, coinage'.
Yavanika: Indo Hellenic Studies, No. 12, (Journal of Indian Society for Greek and Roman Studies) 2009, pp.26—41. (ISSN. 0971-5681)
Since the time when Buddha lived, there was presence of a fairly high level of currency system to facilitate economic transactions in Indian lands. The karshapanas or the so called "punch marked coins" (PMC) which have been collected or unearthed in large quantities in the Northwestern India and have been witnessed as far as the Eastern India, formed a token currency system and a rudimentary coinage of indigenous origin. 1 The reservations of many scholars about acknowledging the PMC as a regular coin are illogical, in straight words, because these have been found mixed up with coins of the Greek kings of Bactria and India in several coin hoards. Much has been written about the Greek contributions in ancient India, and particularly on the aspect of the origin of Indian coinage as a Greek impact. It is high-time that the economic aspects of the impact of Bactrian Indo Greek (BIG) coinage 2 should be evaluated. Therefore, the paper aims to study the impact of Greek coinage on the ancient Indian economy, in the monetary sector.
Ancient Indian coins & symbolism And The Roots of Indian culture
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?
ANCIENT INDIAN COINS AND THEIR DIVISION OF FOUNDING PLACES
In Ancient Time, India was named after the sovereign king BHARA (MANU) the son of Rishabhdev and the Grandson of Nabhi, According to the PuraniccosomologyBharatvarsh or Haim Vatavarsa was divided into nine divisions. In this paper I illustrate about division of places in which ancient Indian coins were found.
Indus Script continuum on ancient coins and Sohgaura plate
Punch Marked Silver Half Karshapana Coins of Surasena Janapada. 300-350 BCE https://marudhararts.com/e-auction/coins-of-india/ancientindia/punch-marked-coins/surasena-janapada-bc-500-350-/35561.html?&view=list Sign 342 karana 'rim of jar' rebus: karana 'messenger, dispatch, account' karaṇī 'supercargo responsible for cargo on ship'