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1 Karshapana
| Issuer | Mauryan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 321 BC - 297 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Reverse presents a nearly plain, lightly worked silver surface consistent with the blank side of a punch-marked issue. A single small banker's mark or counter-punch is discernible near the centre of the field, applied subsequent to the primary striking. The flan edges are irregular and show the characteristic clipped appearance of hand-cut Mauryan silver coinage. No additional devices, legends, or inscriptions are present. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The karshapana predates the Mauryan dynasty itself — punch-marked silver had circulated across the Indian subcontinent for at least a century before Chandragupta Maurya consolidated power around 321 BC. What the Mauryans introduced was administrative standardization, with the Arthashastra of Kautilya explicitly codifying weight standards and mint oversight in what amounts to one of the earliest documented state monetary policies anywhere in the ancient world.
The Arthashastra specifies a dedicated officer, the Lakshanaadhyaksha, responsible for coin inspection and counterfeit suppression.