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1/4 Karshapana
| Issuer | Shunga Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 105 BC - 55 BC |
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| Shape | Square (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Irregular square hammered copper flan bearing a centrally placed punch-mark depicting what appears to be a tree or plant symbol with upward-branching arms, rendered in the characteristic punch-marked style of ancient Indian coinage. The motif rises from a base and displays multiple branches, consistent with the Ujjain or tree symbols commonly employed on Shunga-period issues. The field is plain and unlettered, with the design confined to a single dominant punch. Surface shows expected porosity and patination consistent with ancient copper coinage of the period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Shungas came to power when Pushyamitra Shunga, a Brahmin general, assassinated the last Mauryan emperor Brihadratha during a military parade around 185 BC — a dynasty born in a moment of extraordinary violence. By the time these quarter-karshapana fractions were being struck, roughly a century later, the empire had fragmented significantly, with regional governors and tributary kingdoms operating with increasing autonomy. Attribution of specific issues to the Shunga center versus peripheral authorities remains genuinely unresolved in the scholarship.