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Drachm - Amoghabhuti
| Issuer | Kuninda Kingdom (Western Himalayas) |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 100 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.09 g |
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| Obverse description | Central motif of a standing deer facing right, with the goddess Lakshmi depicted above or beside the animal, accompanied by a vase (kalasha), a sacrificial post (yupa), and a stylised hill formation rendered below the deer. The composition is enclosed by a Kharosthi legend arranged around the periphery of the flan. The design reflects the syncretic artistic tradition of the Kuninda kingdom, blending indigenous iconography with elements derived from contemporary Indo-Greek numismatic conventions. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A nandipada symbol prominently placed upon a stylised hill, flanked by a railed sacred tree (possibly a bodhi or similar), a swastika, an indradhvaja (standard of Indra), and various additional auspicious symbols filling the field. The reverse composition is characteristic of Kuninda coinage, combining Brahminic and early Buddhist iconographic elements in a dense, symbolic arrangement. A Kharosthi legend encircles the design along the outer border of the flan. |
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| Additional information |
The Kuninda Kingdom occupied the upper Beas and Sutlej valleys, a region contested between the Mauryan empire's retreating administrative reach and the expanding Indo-Greek kingdoms pressing in from Bactria. Amoghabhuti is the only Kuninda ruler known by name from coin evidence alone — no inscription, no literary source confirms him independently. His coinage represents one of the earliest instances of a hill kingdom in the northwestern subcontinent asserting political identity through silver issue rather than simply circulating foreign currency.
The script used on these drachms is Brahmi on one face and Kharosthi on the other, a bilingual choice that almost certainly reflects the competing cultural pressures of the period.