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Chalkon - Azes Balarama Type
| Issuer | Indo-Scythian Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 58 BC - 12 BC |
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| Composition | Copper |
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| Obverse description | Standing figure of the Hindu deity Balarama striding left, holding a knobbed club or scepter in his raised right hand. The effigy is rendered in a schematic Hellenistic style. A rectangular dotted border frames the central design, with a Greek legend distributed around the periphery. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Kharosthi |
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| Additional information |
Azes I consolidated Indo-Scythian control over the northwestern subcontinent following the collapse of the Indo-Greek kingdoms, and his copper issues reflect a deliberate policy of bilingual, bicultural coinage designed to ease administration across populations accustomed to Greek dynastic money. The Balarama type specifically draws on imagery rooted in the Vaishnava tradition, signaling engagement with local religious currency rather than imposition of purely Scythian or Hellenistic conventions — a pragmatic accommodation that distinguished Azes's monetary approach from his predecessors.
Senior 78.1 is among the more frequently encountered varieties in this series, though surfaces are almost universally rough given the alloy behavior and burial conditions typical of the region.