Coins from Igra, District Jind, Haryana Vivek Dangi1 and Rajpal2 1. Department of History, All India Jat Heroes’ Memorial College, Rohtak, Haryana, India (Email: [email protected]) 2. Department of Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India (Email: [email protected]) Received: 05 August 2015; Accepted: 14 September 2015; Revised: 04 November 2015 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3 (2015): 715‐723 Abstract: Numismatics is undoubtedly one of the most valuable sources of history. It confirms the information culled from other sources and by themselves provides information which is not known from other sources. About 40 Indo‐Greek rulers ruled over northern India, epigraphy refers to only a few and literature refers to half a dozen of them. The historicity of the rest of them are known only from coins, and after careful and intensive study of these coins, numismatists attempt to establish chronology of kings and throw light on various aspects of their history and culture. Thus coins throw light on various aspects of the regional as well as National history. During recent exploration in Jind, district Haryana, researchers found some coins from Igra‐1which throw light on the political, Social, Economic and cultural aspect of the region and enrich our existing knowledge. Keywords: Igra, Cast Coins, Historical, Potsherd, Late Harappan, Indo‐Scythian, Yaudheyas Introduction Igra village is located in Jind district of Haryana. The village Igra is situated about 12 km west of Jind (district head quarter), on the Jind‐Hansi Road (Fig. 1). There are three ancient mounds in the revenue jurisdiction of the village. The site of Igra‐1 (29°13ʹ30ʺN, 76°14ʹ47ʺE) is partly covered by the present habitation and partly falls in an open area. The nature of the site is habitational, and it is divided into two mounds. It is locally known as Khera. The potsherds are scattered in an area of 15 ha and the height of the mound is about 10 m high from the surrounding levels. It is oval in shape and its longer axis is from east to west. The pottery recovered during the explorations belongs to the Late Harappan (Dangi 2009:111), PGW, Kushana, Gupta and Medieval periods (Singh 1981: 82‐83). The site Igra‐2 (29°12ʹ45.3ʺN, 76°15ʹ51.1ʺE) is situated about 1.5 km east of the present village. A bullock‐cart track leads to the site which is 0.5 km south of the Igra‐Buwana Road. It falls in the fields of ShriChhaju Ram, s/o Shri Nanak and is highly damaged. ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3: 2015 The nature of the site is habitational. It is locally known as Ranawala. The potsherds are scattered in an area of 3 ha and levelled for agricultural purposes. It is rectangular in shape and its longer axis is oriented from north to south. The site has yielded the remains of the Ghaggar‐Hakra culture, Early Harappan, Late Harappan and Historical periods. The site Igra‐3 (29°14ʹ37.1ʺN, 76°15ʹ22.2ʺE) is situated about 2 km north of the present village. A bullock‐cart track leads to the site. It falls in the fields of Shri Hukam Singh, s/o ShriMalha Singh. The site has been highly disturbed. It is locally known as Mandor. The potsherds are scattered in an area of 1 ha and levelled for agricultural purposes. It is rectangular in shape and its longer axis is oriented from east to west. The site has yielded remains of the Late Harappan and PGW cultures (Dangi 2009:111). During the course of explorations present authors recovered sixteen coins from the site Igra‐1.These include Uninscribed cast coins, Indo‐Scythian ,Kushana, Yaudheyas and Samantadeva (Fig. 2). Rest of the coins belongs to Medieval period. Figure 1: General map of Haryana showing village Igra Uninscribed Cast Coins The earliest indigenous coins after punch‐marked coins are the uninscribed cast coins. These coins were minted using cast techniques but sometimes die‐struck coins are also found. These coins are usually round and square. The round ones have elephant on 716 Dangi and Rajpal 2015: 715‐723 Figure 2: Coins from Igra‐1 obverse and three arched hill on the reverse, while the square coins bears elephant, swastika topped standard taurine on the obverse and tree in railing. Bow cross and arched hill on the reverse. Cast coins are usually found in central India, U.P., Haryana, 717 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3: 2015 Punjab, Pakistan and Nepal or we can say that these coins were reported from entire India expect extreme south. From the stratigraphical context cast coins usually found along with punch marked coins and Northern Black Polished Ware. Allan (1936) dated these coins 3rd‐2nd Century B.C., Cunningham (1981:60) believes that these coins started about the end of 6th Century B.C. along with punch marked coins. The uninscribed cast coins continued to be in circulation in mid‐Ganga valley upto the Sunga period or little later to that. Uninscribed cast coins were earlier reported from Jind district (Singh 1982: 230‐231). During explorations one such coin was found from Igra‐1 (Fig. 2.1). Uninscribed Cast Coin (Fig. 2.1) Provenience Igra‐1 Ruler ‐ Metal Copper Size 13.3 mm Size 2.89 mm Weight 2.5 gm Shape Circular Obverse Elephant with rider moving left Reverse Three arched hill with crescent Indo‐Scythian Coins Indo‐Scythians (Sakas) ruled over north‐west including Gandhara, Sind, Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and UP. The first Indo‐Scythian ruler was Maues who established his rule over Gandhara during 1st Century B.C after destroying the Greek kingdom. Azes‐1 and Azilises were the other famous rulers of this dynasty. The Indo‐ Scythian rulers circulated coins of several varieties in copper and silver. Their coin bears Greek legend on the obverse and Kharosthi legend on the reverse. During the course of the exploration two copper coins of Rajuvula were found from Igra‐1, who ruled over Mathura region around 10 A.D (Figs. 2.2 & 2.3). Indo‐Scythian Coin (Fig. 2.2) Provenience Igra‐1 Ruler Rajuvula (Indo‐Scythian) Metal Copper Size 13.4 mm Size 3 mm Weight 1.90 gm Shape Circular Obverse Head of the king to the right, wearing scarf and diademed, traces of Greek inscription Reverse Athena Alkidemos standing left, holding horizontal shield on outstretched left arm, hurling thunderbolt with right hand, Kharoshthi legend around: Chatrapasaapratihatachakrasarajuvulasa 718 Dangi and Rajpal 2015: 715‐723 Indo‐Scythian Coin (Fig. 2.3) Provenience Igra‐1 Ruler Rajuvula (Indo‐Scythian) Metal Copper Size 13.3 mm Size 2.98 mm Weight 1.85 gm Shape Circular Obverse Head of the king to the right, wearing scarf and diademed, traces of Greek inscription Reverse Athena Alkidemos standing left, holding horizontal shield on outstretched left arm, hurling thunderbolt with right hand, Kharoshthi legend around: Chatrapasaapratihatachakrasarajuvulasa Yaudheya Coins Yaudheyas were one of the powerful tribal republics of ancient India. Yaudheya coins are usually found almost all over the region of Haryana, Punjab, northern Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh, some part of Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and in Bhawalpur region of Pakistan. During the exploration, the author found two Yaudheyas coin from the site. These coins were in a fair state of preservation when found and have been chemical treated and conserved. One coin (Fig. 2.4) belongs to C. second‐first century B.C. and another one coin (Fig. 2.6) belongs to c. third ‐ fourth centuries A.D. Yaudheya Coin (Fig. 2.4) Provenience Igra‐1 Ruler ‐ Metal Copper Size 19.5 mm Size 3.2 mm Weight 4.5 gm Shape Circular Obverse Bull farcing to right on a yupa, Brahmi legend: YaudheyanamBahudhnake Reverse Blur Yaudheya coins were found in a number of varieties therefore many scholars had classified them in many classes. Canningham divided these coins into three types (Cunningham 1891:76‐77), Allan (1936: 90‐94) classified these coins into six classes with sub‐types and three periods. But most of the scholars accept K.D. Bajpai (1973:90‐94) classification. He classified Yaudheya coins basically in three classes, Class I is of ‘bull‐ elephant’ bearing coins of second‐first century B.C. Class‐II is of the coins bearing ‘six headed Karttikeya’ and Class‐III is bearing the legend Yaudheyasganasyajaya. Class‐III coins apart from Yaudheyasganasyajaya have dvi and tri as addition legends. Saraswati(1979) holds the view that the Yaudheyas defeated the Kushanas thrice. After 719 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3: 2015 the first victory, they issued the coins with the legend Yaudheyasganasyajaya, while after the second victory they added the word dvi. After the third victory, they put tri along with the legend. Coins found during explorations fall in the Class‐I and Class‐III. Yaudheya Coin (Fig. 2.6) Provenience Igra‐1 Ruler ‐ Metal Copper Size 23.4 mm Size 4.5 mm Weight 10.82 gm Shape Circular Obverse Karttikeya standing facing holding a spear in his right hands and his left hand resting on his hip. A peacock stands near his left foot. Brahmi legend: Yaudheyaganasyajaya, between head of Karttikeya and spear: tri Reverse Female deity in tribhanga mudra with her right hand raised and her left hand resting on her hip. Border of dots, conch shell are placed to the left of the deity and a sri vats symbol Kushana Coins Kushanas were a branch of the Yueh‐chi race of China, who were dislodged from their original homeland in the middle of the second century B.C.