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1 Karshapana
| Issuer | Mauryan Empire (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 321 BC - 298 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Punchmarks, mostly off flan: 462 (six-armed symbol alternating arrows and taurines), 468 (sun), 374 (crescent above three hills), 270 (tree growing from corner of squared square), indistinct 5th mark. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (321 BC - 298 BC) |
| Additional information |
The karshapana predates the Mauryan dynasty itself — punch-marked silver had circulated across the Indian subcontinent for at least two centuries before Chandragupta Maurya consolidated power around 321 BC. What changed under the Mauryas was administrative standardization, with the Arthashastra attributed to Kautilya prescribing precise weight tolerances and mandating state assay offices called lakshanaadhyakshas to regulate output.
The 3.23g ratti-based standard held with remarkable consistency across mints, enforced by a bureaucracy that punished counterfeiters with mutilation.