Wednesday

Yaudheya Tribal republic of Punjab (200 BC - 400 AD.)


Yaudheya or Yaudheya Gana was an ancient tribal confederation who lived in the area between the Indus river and the Ganges river. They find mention in Pāini's Ashtadhyayi and Ganapatha .They were in zenith of their power from about 200 BCE to 400 CE.The Yaudheya republic had been a reasonably powerful state since the days of Alexander. (The frontier of their state was actually where Alexander turned back.) In the 3rd and 4th centuries they had a renaissance of sorts, but seem to have disappeared in the middle of the 4th century as the Guptas rose to power to their east.



































































Nagas of Padmavati GANAPATI NAGA ( C. 200-340 AD )

The Naga dynasty ruled parts of north-central India during the 3rd and the 4th centuries, after the decline of the Kushan Empire and before the rise of the Gupta Empire. Its capital was located at Padmavati, which is identified with modern Pawaya in Madhya Pradesh. Modern historians identify it with the family that is called Bharashiva
The various Kings of the Nagas of Narwar issued coins of 1, 1/2 and 1/4 kakini, from 5-15 mm in size and all issued in bronze. Designs were humped bull facing left, wheel peacock, trident and various other designs. The Nagas of Narwar occupied the region of Padmavati, Kantipuri, Mathura and Vidisha around the period of 200-340 CE. In this period there was substantial trade between India and Rome in spices, fabric and gold. Text used was in the Brahmi script  of an Early Prakrit language.







Sunga Empire (185 BC–75 BC )


The Sunga Empire is a Magadha dynasty that controlled North-central and Eastern India as well as parts of the northwest from around 185 to 75 BCE. It was established after the fall of the Maurya Empire. The capital of the Sungas was Pataliputra .

Sungan coinage issued between 185 to 73 BCE were copper ¼, ½ and 1 silver karshapana. The fractions were first punched then later cast and made of copper.
On the ½ karshapana were usually pictures of a three-arched hill (chaitya) below a crescent and a railed tree to the right. The other side contained an elephant to the left. Average dimensions are 16 mm with a weight of between 2.5 and 3.1 grams.
The ¼ karshapna had an image of an elephant and rider to the left, with the opposite side containing a three arched hill or mountain called a chaitya with crescent ubove. Diammeter is on average 14 mm, and a varied wight of 1.2 and 2.7 grams.
The silver Pana was a punch marked coin and is distinguishable from the type of punch involved, it was a continuation of the Mauriyan coinage.





Tuesday

Indo - Scythians Azes II (circa 35 - 12 BC)


Indo-Scythians is a term used to refer to Sakas (or Scythians), who migrated into BactriaSogdianaArachosiaGandharaKashmirPunjabHaryanaUttar PradeshGujaratMaharashtra and Rajasthan, from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE.
It has been claimed that ancient historians including Arrian  and Ptolemy have mentioned that the ancient Sakas ('Sakai') were basically nomads. However, Italo Ronca, in his detailed study of Ptolemy's chapter vi, marks the statement: "The land of the Sakai belongs to nomads, they have no towns but dwell in forests and caves" as spurious.
The first Saka king in India was Maues or Moga who established Saka power in Gandhara and gradually extended supremacy over north-western India. Indo-Scythian rule in India ended with the last Western Satrap Rudrasimha III in 395 CE.
The invasion of India by Scythian tribes from Central Asia, often referred to as the Indo-Scythian invasion, played a significant part in the history of South Asia as well as nearby countries. In fact, the Indo-Scythian war is just one chapter in the events triggered by the nomadic flight of Central Asians from conflict with tribes such as the Xiongnu in the 2nd century CE, which had lasting effects on BactriaKabulParthia and India as well as far-off Rome in the west.


Indo-Greek Kingdom . ಇಂಡೊ-ಗ್ರೀಕ್ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ .( ಹಿಂದೂಸ್ತಾನವನ್ನು ಆಕ್ರಮಿಸಿದ ಗ್ರೀಕರು )

The Hellenistic expansion brought the Ancient Greeks in South Asia also known as Indo-Greeks. They established the Indo-Greek Kingdom covering various parts of the northwest and northern Indian subcontinent during the last two centuries BC, and was ruled by more than 30 Hellenistic kings, often in conflict with each other. The kingdom was founded when the Graeco-Bactrian king Demetrius invaded India early in the 2nd century BC; in this context the boundary of "India" is the Hindu Kush. The Greeks in India were eventually divided from the Graeco-Bactrian Kingdom centered in Bactria (now the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan).During the two centuries of their rule, the Indo-Greek kings combined the Greek and Indian languages and symbols, as seen on their coins, and blended ancient Greek, Hindu and Buddhist religious practices, as seen in the archaeological remains of their cities and in the indications of their support of Buddhism .






Mauryan Dynasty .(321 to 185 BC ) Silver punch marked coins. ಮೌರ್ಯರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ, ಮುದ್ರಂಕಿಥ ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ನಾಣ್ಯಗಳು .


During the Mauryan period, punch marked coins continued to be issued in large quantities, these are a continuation of the Magadha Kingdom coinage as the ruling house of this empires established the Mauryan Empire. They contained on average 50-54 grains of silver in each coin depending on wear and 32 rattis in weight Manu smruti, and earlier coins are flatter than later coins. Punches on these coins count to 450 with the most common the sun and six-armed symbols, and various forms of geometrical patterns, circles, wheels, human figures, various animals, bows and arrows, hills and trees etc. Many are barly discernible for what they could be.The basic coin is called the Karshapana (pana) in numismatic terms but the Arthasastra stated there are at least 4 denominations of silver coins in pana, ardhapana (half pana), pada (quarter pana) and ashta-bhaga, or arshapadika (one-eighth pana). But only the Karshapana is found. There is no issues found of the other denominations even though cut coins are found.
Copper coins are known but their provinences are not. They are cast and with images of a hill or mountain, crescent moon, cross, swastika and various animals
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Janapadas ( 600 BC- 300 BC ) Silver krashapanas

At the beginning of the sixth century BC there was no paramount power in India. It was divided into large number of independent states. According to the Buddhist text, they flourished shortly before the time of Gautama Buddha. The Janapadas issued their own coins which dates between 6th to 4th centuries BC. All the earliest Indian coins known so far are of gold, silver, copper, lead. The coins are made by punchmark technique in which one to five symbols are punched on the obverse side of the coin. The reverse side has some minute bankers mark which certifies the purity and weight of these coins