Articles on Ancient Indian Coinage
Ancient Indian Coinage Terminology in Sanskrit Literature
By V. Yamuna Devi · Journal of Indian History and Culture, 2019
The study of coinage in ancient India, as analyzed through Sanskrit literature, reveals a sophisticated monetary system dating back to the Vedic period. Coins served three primary purposes: purchasing commodities, offering Dakshina (honorariums) to priests…
Mahāksatrapa Iṣvaradatta
By Dineshchandra Sircar · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1957
Mahāksatrapa Iṣvaradatta was a short‑lived but important figure in the history of the Western Kṣatrapas. The article opens by noting that Iṣvaradatta issued silver coins closely modeled on those of the Śaka satraps and inscribed them with his regnal years,…
Foreign Denominations of Ancient Indian Coins
By Surendra Kishore Chakraborty · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1939
This numismatic study traces how foreign coin names and standards entered the Indian monetary system. It begins with indigenous punch‑marked coins of the first millennium BCE, such as the purana/dharana and karsapana, which were originally weight terms but…
Persian and Greek Coins and their Imitations in Ancient India
By Surendra Kishore Chakraborty · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1934
Surveying the history of coinage, the author argues that India’s earliest punch‑marked coins are indigenous. He cites Rapson and Bhandarkar to show that the origin of Indian coinage lies within India and not in Babylon, Persia or Greece. The article explains…
Ancient coins found in Pāñcāla, Ayodhyā, Kauśāmbī and Mathurā — a Study
By Charu Chandra Das Gupta · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1932
The State in Relation to Coinage in Ancient India
By Surendra Kishore Chakraborty · The Indian Historical Quarterly, 1930
The initiative behind coinage in ancient India remains debated, with scholars divided on whether merchants or the State took the lead. Merchants, driven by commercial needs, likely issued early coins as a metallic exchange medium, later adopting standardized…