Śrīkṣetra, the Pyu city-state near modern Pyay in central Burma, produced coinage well before most mainland Southeast Asian polities had developed monetary systems at all. The 96 ratti weight standard — ratti being the seed of Abrus precatorius, used across South and Southeast Asia as a unit of mass — ties this issue directly to Indian metrology, almost certainly arriving via Bay of Bengal trade networks rather than overland routes.
The extreme silver fineness is consistent across excavated Pyu hoards, suggesting tight control over metal sourcing that outlasted the city itself.
Śrīkṣetra, the Pyu city-state near modern Pyay in central Burma, produced coinage well before most mainland Southeast Asian polities had developed monetary systems at all. The 96 ratti weight standard — ratti being the seed of Abrus precatorius, used across South and Southeast Asia as a unit of mass — ties this issue directly to Indian metrology, almost certainly arriving via Bay of Bengal trade networks rather than overland routes.
The extreme silver fineness is consistent across excavated Pyu hoards, suggesting tight control over metal sourcing that outlasted the city itself.