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Review on History of Indian Coinage International Journal of Grid and Distributed Computing Vol. 13, No. 1s, (2020), pp. 200-219 Review On History Of Indian Coinage Dr (Ms) Swaroopa Rani N. Gupta Department of Chemistry Brijlal Biyani Science College Amravati, Maharashtra, India e-mail:[email protected] Abstract India has been one of the earliest issuers of coins in the world (circa 6th Century BC). Few countries rival India for the sheer diversity of its coinage be it minting techniques, motifs, sizes, shapes, the metals used or for that matter the monetary history arising from the Monetary Standards India has experienced (Tri-metallism, Bi-metallism, the Silver Standard, the Gold Exchange Standard as well as fiat money). In history, Indian coins have played a crucial role in documenting political and economic changes over time. Foreign coin hoards found in India throw light on Indian trade patterns in ancient, medieval, and late pre-colonial times. The Motifs on coins have been impacted upon by the cultural ethos of different regions at different time periods. This paper deals with review on history of Indian coinage which includes Ancient India Coinage such as Punch Marked Coins, Dynastic Coins (Kushan Coinage, Satavahana Coinage, Western Kshatrapa Coinage, Other Coins, Gupta Coinage, Post-Gupta Coinage), South Indian Coinage, Foreign Coin Hoards found in India; Medieval India Coinage; Mughal Coinage; Pre-Colonial India & Princely States: Coinage such as the Maratha Confederacy, Coins of Avadh, Coins of Mysore, Coins of the Sikhs, Coins of Hyderabad, Some Representative Coins of other Princely States; British India Coinage such as Early Issues, Coins of William IV, Coins of Queen Victoria, Coins of Edward VII, Coins of George V; Republic India Coinage such as The Frozen Series 1947-1950, The Anna Series, The Decimal Series, Naya Paisa Series 1957-1964, Aluminium Series 1964 onwards, Contemporary Coins. Key Words: Punch Marked Coins, Dynastic Coins, South Indian Coinage, Medieval India Coinage, Mughal Coinage, Maratha Confederacy, Coins of Avadh, Coins of Mysore, Coins of the Sikhs, Coins of Hyderabad, Coins of William IV, Coins of Queen Victoria, Coins of Edward VII, Coins of George V, The Anna Series, The Decimal Series, Naya Paisa Series, Aluminium Series, Contemporary Coins. 1. Introduction India has been one of the earliest issuers of coins in the world (circa 6th Century BC). Few countries rival India for the sheer diversity of its coinage be it minting techniques, motifs, sizes, shapes, the metals used or for that matter the monetary history arising from the Monetary Standards India has experienced (Tri-metallism, Bi-metallism, the Silver Standard, the Gold Exchange Standard as well as fiat money). In history, Indian coins have played a crucial role in documenting political and economic changes over time. Foreign coin hoards found in India throw light on Indian trade patterns in ancient, medieval, and late pre-colonial times. The Motifs on coins have been impacted upon by the cultural ethos of different regions at different time periods. This paper deals with review on history of Indian coinage which includes Ancient India Coinage such as Punch Marked Coins, Dynastic Coins (Kushan Coinage, Satavahana Coinage, Western Kshatrapa Coinage, Other Coins, Gupta Coinage, Post-Gupta Coinage), South Indian Coinage, Foreign Coin Hoards found in India; Medieval India Coinage; Mughal Coinage; Pre-Colonial India & Princely States: ISSN: 2005-4262 IJGDC 200 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Grid and Distributed Computing Vol. 13, No. 1s, (2020), pp. 200-219 Coinage such as the Maratha Confederacy, Coins of Avadh, Coins of Mysore, Coins of the Sikhs, Coins of Hyderabad, Some Representative Coins of other Princely States; British India Coinage such as Early Issues, Coins of William IV, Coins of Queen Victoria, Coins of Edward VII, Coins of George V; Republic India Coinage such as The Frozen Series 1947-1950, The Anna Series, The Decimal Series, Naya Paisa Series 1957-1964, Aluminium Series 1964 onwards, Contemporary Coins. 2. An Overview India has been one of the earliest issuers of coins in the world (circa 6th Century BC). Few countries rival India for the sheer diversity of its coinage be it minting techniques, motifs, sizes, shapes, the metals used or for that matter the monetary history arising from the Monetary Standards India has experienced (Tri-metallism, Bi-metallism, the Silver Standard, the Gold Exchange Standard as well as fiat money). In history, Indian coins have played a crucial role in documenting political and economic changes over time. Foreign coin hoards found in India throw light on Indian trade patterns in ancient, medieval, and late pre-colonial times. The Motifs on coins have been impacted upon by the cultural ethos of different regions at different time periods.[1] ANCIENT INDIA COINAGE [1] Punch Marked Coins The Indus valley civilisation of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa dates back between 2500 BC and 1750 BC. There, however, is no consensus on whether the seals excavated from the sites were in fact coins. Seals of Mohenjo-Daro Punch Marked Coin, Silver Bentbar The first documented coinage is deemed to start with 'Punch Marked' coins issued between the 7th-6th century BC and 1stcentury AD. These coins are called 'punch-marked' coins because of their manufacturing technique. Mostly made of silver, these bear symbols, each of which was punched on the coin with a separate punch. Issued initially by merchant Guilds and later by States, the coins represented a trade currency belonging to a period of intensive trade activity and urban development. They are broadly classified into two periods : the first period (attributed to the Janapadas or small local states) and the second period (attributed to the Imperial Mauryan period). The motifs found on these coins were mostly drawn from nature like the sun, various animal motifs, trees, hills etc. and some were geometrical symbols. Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse Seven Symbols Five Symbols Five Symbols Silver Punchmarked Coins ISSN: 2005-4262 IJGDC 201 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Grid and Distributed Computing Vol. 13, No. 1s, (2020), pp. 200-219 Asmaka Janapada Imperial Series Imperial Series Imperial Series Imperial Punch Marked Coins Dynastic Coins Dating of regular dynastic coin issues is controversial. The earliest of these coins relate to those of the Indo-Greeks, the Saka-Pahlavas and the Kushans. These coins are generally placed between the 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD. Hellenistic traditions characterise the silver coins of the Indo-Greeks, with Greek gods and goddesses figuring prominently, apart from the portraits of the issuers. These coins with their Greek legends are historically significant, as the history of the Indo-Greeks has been reconstructed almost entirely on their evidence. The Saka coinage of the Western Kshatrapas are perhaps the earliest dated coins, the dates being given in the Saka era which commences in AD 78. The Saka era represents the official calendar of the Indian Republic Indo-Greek Coins Kushan Coinage Map of Kushan Earliest Kushan coinage is generally attributed to Vima Kadphises. The Kushan coins generally depicted iconographic forms drawn from Greek, Mesopotamian, Zorastrian and Indian mythology. Siva, Buddha and Kartikeya were the major Indian deities portrayed. Kushan gold coins influenced subsequent issues, notably those of the Guptas. Coins of the Kushans ISSN: 2005-4262 IJGDC 202 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Grid and Distributed Computing Vol. 13, No. 1s, (2020), pp. 200-219 Satavahana Coinage The Satavahanas were the early rulers of the region between the rivers, Godavari and the Krishna. They were also referred to as the Andhras. They soon brought under their control, both the Western-Deccan and Central India. The dates of their coming in to power are contentious and are variously put between 270 BC to 30 BC. Their coins were predominantly of copper and lead, however, silver issues are also known. These coins carried the motifs of fauna like elephants, lions, bulls, horses, etc. often juxtaposed against motifs from nature like hills, tree, etc. The silver coins of the Satavahanas carried portraits and bilingual legends, which were inspired by the Kshatrapa types. Coins of the Satavahana Western Kshatrapa Coinage The term Western Kshatraps alludes to the set of rulers who ruled Western India between the 1stand 4thCentury AD. The legends on the coins were generally in Greek and Brahmi. Kharoshti too was used. The Western Kshatrap coins are reckoned to be the earliest coins bearing dates. The common copper coins are the 'bull and hill' and the 'elephant and hill' types. Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse Rudrasimha I, 180-196 AD Viradaman, 234-238 AD Coins of the Western Kshatrapas Other Coins In the interregnum between the fall of the Maurayans and the rise of the Guptas various tribal republics in the Punjab and monarchies in the Indo-Gangetic plain issued coins. Most coins were issued in Copper. The coins of the Yaudheyas were influenced in design and motif by the coins of the Kushans. They followed the weights of the Indo-bacterian rulers. Coin of the Yaudheyas Gupta Coinage Gupta coinage (4th-6th centuries AD) followed the tradition of the Kushans, depicting the king on the obverse and a deity on the reverse; the deities were Indian and the legends were in Brahmi. The earliest Gupta coins are attributed to Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and Kumaragupta and their coins often commemorate
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