AR 3 Shana

The Janapadas-era punch-marked coins are among the earliest struck silver in the Indian subcontinent, predating the Mauryan imperial coinage that would eventually standardize weight systems across the region. Kuntala, identified in ancient sources including the Arthashastra, occupied territory in the western Deccan — a location that placed it at the edge of the more densely documented northern Mahajanapadas and left its coinage poorly represented in major collections.

The 3-shana weight standard reflects a local unit rather than the karshapana system dominant further north.