Catalog
Karshapana - Ujjain Anonymous
| Issuer | Ujjain region |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 100 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.35 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A frontal standing figure of the triple-headed deity Shiva is depicted in the centre of the field, the three faces rendered schematically in the style typical of early Indian copper coinage. The figure's arms are outstretched or folded, with drapery indicated by incised lines at the lower body. Flanking and surrounding the deity are secondary symbols associated with Shaivite iconography: a chakra (discoid wheel), a tree motif, and a fish-tank or rectangular tank symbol, distributed within the field. The design is executed in bold, somewhat crude relief characteristic of die-struck hammered issues of the Ujjain region in the late pre-Christian era. No inscription or legend is present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (200 BC - 100 BC) |
| Additional information |
Ujjain was one of the most commercially active mints of the punch-marked period, sitting at the intersection of the northern trade routes and the Deccan corridor. Anonymous copper issues from this region circulated alongside silver karshapanas of imperial and regional authority, functioning as small-change fractions in a monetary system where silver dominated accounting but copper handled daily transaction.
Attribution to Ujjain for anonymous pieces of this type rests primarily on symbol groupings cross-referenced against excavation findspots, particularly from Ujjain itself and Vidisha.