1 Karshapana Late Mauryan Period

The late Mauryan period saw the empire in steep decline following Ashoka's death, with the last emperor Brihadratha assassinated by his own general Pushyamitra Shunga around 185 BC. Coinage from these final decades reflects the administrative fragmentation — silver content in punch-marked pieces dropped sharply, producing the debased billon alloy characteristic of this issue. The Karshapana had been the backbone of Mauryan fiscal infrastructure for over a century by this point, its weight standard carefully maintained under earlier rulers before the system began to unravel.