1/2 Karshapana - Ujjain/Avanti Region

Obverse description	A standing male figure, commonly identified as Shiva, depicted in frontal or three-quarter stance, holding a surya (solar) standard in the right hand; a tree-in-railing motif appears to the right of the figure. The style is characteristic of early Indian punch-marked and cast coinage of the Avanti region, rendered in low relief with schematic, archaic treatment of the human form. The coin surface exhibits heavy patination consistent with burial or long-term deposition.
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Edge	Plain
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Additional information	Ujjain served as one of the most commercially active cities in ancient India during this period, positioned along trade routes connecting the Gangetic plains to the western ports. The Avanti region's punch-marked copper fractions circulated alongside silver karshapanas in local markets, filling a practical denominational gap that silver alone couldn't serve at the street level. Attribution to specific issuing authority within this region remains genuinely contested among scholars — ACR#271 places it in the Ujjain group, but the punch combinations overlap with neighboring Malwa issues in ways that resist clean classification.