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Karshapana - Ujjain
| Issuer | Ujjain region |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.24 g |
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| Obverse description | Punch-marked field bearing multiple device symbols characteristic of the Ujjain regional coinage: a standing figure of Shiva, a solar symbol, the distinctive six-armed Ujjain symbol (taurine cross with six radiating arms), a three-arched hill (chaitya) surmounted by a crescent, and a merchant's bale-mark. The symbols are punched in an irregular arrangement across the flat copper flan, each impressed individually with a separate punch die, reflecting the standard production technique of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (-200) |
| Additional information |
Ujjain's punch-marked coinage circulated through one of the ancient world's most commercially active cities — a major node on the trade routes connecting the Gangetic plain to the western ports. The Ujjain symbol, a wheel-like motif punched into these pieces, has given specialists enough consistency to attribute regional issues with reasonable confidence, though the absence of dynastic inscriptions means exact issuing authority remains contested across the literature.
Copper karshapanas of this weight class were struck at a fraction of the silver standard, serving smaller transactions that silver could not efficiently handle.