Silver

circa 1-200 CE

North India

CSMVS

Details

Culture/Civilisation

Ancient India, India

Theme

Writing

Subtheme

India and China – Language and Society

Display Location

Coomaraswamy Hall

Accession Number

2010.11

Description

Ancient coins (and stone inscriptions) show that India has been a multilingual society for several thousand years. The coins combine both official and local languages – Indian and foreign – written in different scripts on the same coin.

Curators Comments

Ruler: Amoghabhuti Tribal State – Kuninda

Script: Kharoshthi
Denomination: Drachm
Obv: Deer facing right, Goddess Lakshmi holding lotus in her upraised right hand; square vase above deer’s back; Srivatsa between its horns; a dotted sun behind the deer’s hind leg Brahmi legend around (from 9 ‘o’ clock) rajnah kunidasa amoghabhutisa maharajasa
Rev: in center Six arched hill with nandipada on top; wavy line below hill; swastika and forked indradhvaja on left; railed tree on right. Kharoshthi legend (from 5 ‘o’ clock) Rana Kunidasa Amoghabhutisa with maharajasa in the exergue

Related Objects

Amoghabhuti

Ashokan Edict No. IX