Coins provide not only substantiation of our glorious tradition and rich legacies, but also perception for comprehending the history and politics of a nation. As a means of communication, they speak to the political and spiritual ideologies that underlined a ruler's or state's claim to power.
Cowry shells were the first confirmation that any form of money existed. As India was ruled by many erstwhile kingdoms and dynasties ranging from the Mughals to The Britishers, it is indeed considered fortunate that we have a myriad of coins from different kingdoms and monarchs that further accentuate and enrich our historic culture.
COINAGES OF INDIA
Punch-marked coins are a type of early currency, dating between about the 6th and 2nd centuries BC. 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 standardized weight but with an uneven shape. This was gained by cutting up silver bars and then by standardizing the 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 of India.
The Mauryan coins were punch marked with the royal standard to determine their legitimacy The Arthashastra, written by Kautilya, mentions minting of coins but also indicates that the violation of the Imperial Maurya standards by private enterprises may have been an offense. Kautilya also seemed to advocate a theory of bimetallism for coinage, which involved the use of two metals, copper and silver, under one government.
Cowry shells were the first confirmation that any form of money existed. As India was ruled by many erstwhile kingdoms and dynasties ranging from the Mughals to The Britishers, it is indeed considered fortunate that we have a myriad of coins from different kingdoms and monarchs that further accentuate and enrich our historic culture.
COINAGES OF INDIA
Punch-marked coins are a type of early currency, dating between about the 6th and 2nd centuries BC. 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 standardized weight but with an uneven shape. This was gained by cutting up silver bars and then by standardizing the 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 of India.
The Mauryan coins were punch marked with the royal standard to determine their legitimacy The Arthashastra, written by Kautilya, mentions minting of coins but also indicates that the violation of the Imperial Maurya standards by private enterprises may have been an offense. Kautilya also seemed to advocate a theory of bimetallism for coinage, which involved the use of two metals, copper and silver, under one government.
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