Damma - Śri Sāngramaśīla Kalachuris of Mahismati

The Kalachuris of Mahismati — distinct from the better-known Kalachuris of Tripuri — controlled a stretch of the upper Narmada valley during the 6th and 7th centuries, with Mahismati (modern Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh) serving as their capital. Śri Sāngramaśīla is among the later rulers of this branch, issuing coinage at a moment when the dynasty was facing increasing pressure from the expanding Chalukyas of Badami.

The damma denomination itself derives from the post-Roman dirham weight standard filtered through Sasanian intermediaries — a half-damma of this weight reflects the smallest practical unit of silver exchange in the western Deccan at this period.