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Spread & significance of Harappa Script hieroglyphs and profiles of metalworkers of Bharata on Bharhut and Sanchi friezes. It is demonstrated by systematic data ininining that all the hieroglyphs/hypertexts on ancient coins of Bharata are knowledge discovery of the tradition of Harappa Script cipher to render in rebus Meluhha, metalwork catalogues, documing the contributions of artisans/seafaring merchants to Bronze Age Revolution. वृष्णि is a term in Rigveda. A Vrishni silver coin from Alexander Cunningham's Coins of Ancient India: From the Earliest Times Down to the Seventh Century (1891) (loc.cit., Lahiri, Bela (1974). Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 200 B.C.E to 320 C.E.), Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp.242 3). वृष्णि [p= 1013,2] वृष्ण्/इ or व्/ऋष्णि, mfn. manly , strong , powerful , mighty RV.m. a ram VS. TS. S3Br.m. a bull L.m. a ray of light L.m. N. of शिव MBh.m. of विष्णु-कृष्ण L.m.of इन्द्र L.m. of अग्नि L.m. pl. N. of a tribe or family (from which कृष्ण is descended , = यादव or माधव ; often mentioned together with the अन्धकs) MBh. Hariv. &cn. N. of a सामन् A1rshBr. (Monier-Williams) An identical ancient silver coin (perhaps produced from the same ancient mint) of Vrishni janapada ca. 10 CE with kharoṣṭhī, Brahmi inscriptions and Harappa Script hieroglyphs was sold in an auction in Ahmedabad (August 2016) for Rs. 27 lakhs. In fact, the treasure is priceless and defines the heritage of Bhāratam Janam, 'metalcaster folk' dating back to the 7th millennium of Vedic culture. It signifies a spoked wheel which is the centre-piece of Bharat's national flag. I suggest that the successful bidder in Ahmedabad auction should volunteer to donate it to the National Museum, Janpath, New Delhi as a treasure to be cherished by the present and future generations of Bhāratam Janam. It is a composite animal with ligatured elephant-tiger pictorial motifs. It signifies a skambha topped by a pair of fish-fins (khambhaṛā 'fish-fin' rebus: kammaṭa 'mint'.). It is a tiger (kola 'tiger' rebus: kol 'blacksmith'). It is an elephant (karba, ibha 'elephant' rebus: karba, ib 'iron' ibbo 'merchant'). It is a yupa with caṣāla signifying a Soma samsthā Yāga. It is a cakra, a vajra in Vedic tradition (eraka 'nave of wheel' rebus: erako 'moltencast' eraka, arka 'copper, gold'). arā 'spokes' rebus: āra 'brass' kund opening in the nave or hub of a wheel to admit the axle (Santali) Rebus: kunda 'turner' kundār turner (A.) It is a professional calling card of a metalcaster, e.g. dhokra kamar who is a śilpi, artificer of cire perdue bronze and metal alloy pratimā. सांगड sāṅgaḍa 'joined animal', rebus: sangaDa ‘lathe’ sanghaṭṭana ‘bracelet’ rebus 1: .sanghāṭa ‘raft’ sAngaDa ‘catamaran, double-canoe’rebusčaṇṇāḍam (Tu. ജംഗാല, Port. Jangada). Ferryboat, junction of 2 boats, also rafts. 2 jangaḍia 'military guard accompanying treasure into the treasury' ചങ്ങാതം čaṇṇāδam (Tdbh.; സംഘാതം) 1. Convoy, guard; responsible Nāyar guide through foreign territories. rebus 3: जाकड़ ja:kaṛ जांगड़ jāngāḍ‘entrustment note’ जखडणें tying up (as a beast to a stake) rebus 4: sanghāṭa ‘accumulation, collection’ rebus 5. sangaDa ‘portable furnace, brazier’ rebus 6: sanghAta ‘adamantine glue‘ rebus 7: sangara ‘fortification’ rebus 8: sangara ‘proclamation’ 9: samgraha, samgaha 'arranger, manager'. On the VRSNi coin, tiger and elephant are joined to create a composite hyperext. This is Harappa Script orthographic cipher. The orthographic style of creating 'composite animals' is also evident from the following examples of artifacts: Terracotta. Tiger, bovine, elephant, Nausharo NS 92.02.70.04 h. 6.76 cm; w. 4.42; l. 6.97 cm. Centre for Archaeological Research Indus Balochistan, Musée Guimet, Paris. harappa.com "Slide 88. Three objects (harappa.com) Three terra cotta objects that combine human and animal features. These objects may have been used to tell stories in puppet shows or in ritual performances. On the left is a seated animal figurine with female head. The manner of sitting suggests that this may be a feline, and a hole in the base indicates that it would have been raised on a stick as a standard or puppet. The head is identical to those seen on female figurines with a fan shaped headdress and two cup shaped side pieces. The choker with pendant beads is also common on female figurines. Material: terra cotta Dimensions: 7.1 cm height, 4.8 cm length, 3.5 cm width Harappa, 2384 Harappa Museum, HM 2082 Vats 1940: 300, pl. LXXVII, 67 In the center is miniature mask of horned deity with human face and bared teeth of a tiger. A large mustache or divided upper lip frames the canines, and a flaring beard adds to the effect of rage. The eyes are defined as raised lumps that may have originally been painted. Short feline ears contrast with two short horns similar to a bull rather than the curving water buffalo horns. Two holes on either side allow the mask to be attached to a puppet or worn as an amulet. Material: terra cotta Dimensions: 5.24 height, 4.86 width Harappa Harappa Museum, H93-2093 Meadow and Kenoyer, 1994 On the right is feline figurine with male human face. The ears, eyes and mouth are filled with black pigment and traces of black are visible on the flaring beard that is now broken. The accentuated almond shaped eyes and wide mouth are characteristic of the bearded horned deity figurines found at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (no. 122, 123). This figurine was found in a sump pit filled with discarded goblets, animal and female figurines and garbage. It dates to the final phase of the Harappan occupation, around 2000 B. C. Harappa, Lot 5063-1 Harappa Museum, H94-2311 Material: terra cotta Dimensions: 5.5 cm height, 12.4 cm length, 4.3 cm width http://www.harappa.com/indus/88.html masks/amulets Slide72. Two composite anthropomorphic / animal figurines from Harappa. Whether or not the attachable water buffalo horns were used in magic or other rituals, unusual and composite animals and anthropomorphic/animal beings were clearly a part of Indus ideology. The ubiquitous "unicorn" (most commonly found on seals, but also represented in figurines), composite animals and animals with multiple heads, and composite anthropomorphic/animal figurines such as the seated quadruped figurines with female faces, headdresses and tails offer tantalizing glimpses into a rich ideology, one that may have been steeped in mythology, magic, and/or ritual transformation. Approximate dimensions (W x H(L) x D) of the larger figurine: 3.5 x 7.1 x 4.8 cm. (Photograph by Richard H. Meadow) See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/01/multiplex-as-metaphor-ligatures-on.html The pellet border is composed of: goṭā 'seed', round pebble, stone' rebus: goṭā ''laterite, ferrite ore' 'gold braid' खोट [ khōṭa ] f A mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down). The railing for the pillar is Vedi, sacred fire-altar for Soma samsthā Yāga. There is evidence dated to ca. 2500 BCE for the performance of such a yajna in Binjor (4MSR) on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati. The fire-altar yielded an octagonal pillar, which is detailed in ancient Vedic texts as a proclamation of Soma samsthā Yāga. Three hour-glass shaped vajra-s are shown in a cartouche below the yupa on the coin. Normally Vajrapani is shown such a vajra which has octagonal edges. kolom 'three' rebus: kolimi, kole.l 'smithy, forge' kole.l 'temple' It is a record of the performance of a Soma samsthā Yāga. It is Vrishni Janapada coin of ca. 10 CE. Cakra, pavi in Vedic tradition is also a vajra. Rudra is vajrabāhu 'vajra weapon wielder'; said also of Agni and Indra. ... वज्र [p=913,1] mn. " the hard or mighty one " , a thunderbolt (esp. that of इन्द्र , said to have been formed out of the bones of the ऋषि दधीच or दधीचि [q.v.] , and shaped like a circular discus , or in later times regarded as having the form of two transverse bolts crossing each other thus x ; sometimes also applied to similar weapons used by various gods or superhuman beings , or to any mythical weapon destructive of spells or charms , also to मन्यु , " wrath "RV. or [with अपाम्] to a jet of water AV. &c ; also applied to a thunderbolt in general or to the lightning evolved from the centrifugal energy of the circular thunderbolt of इन्द्र when launched at a foe ; in Northern Buddhist countries it is shaped like a dumb-bell and called Dorje ; » MWB. 201 ; 322 &c ) RV. &c; a diamond (thought to be as hard as the thunderbolt or of the same substance with it) , Shad2vBr. Mn. MBh. &c; m. a kind of column or pillar VarBr2S.; m. a kind of hard mortar or cement (कल्क) VarBr2S. (cf. -लेप); n. a kind of hard iron or steel L. Vrishni Tribal Silver Coin Realises A Whopping Rs. 27-Lakhs in Ahmedabad Auction 10 Aug 2016 Wed A beautiful silver drachm issued by the Republic of Vrishni People between 10 and 40 CE was auctioned off by Classical Numismatic Gallery at the Coin and Currency Fair that was held between August 5th and 7th at Ahmedabad. The obverse of this rare silver coin bears a standard topped by a nandipada finial with an elephant’s head and the forepart of a leaping lion below it in an ornamental railing. The Brahmi legend reads “(Vr)shni Rajana Ganasya Tratarasya”. The reverse bears an ornate 14-spoked wheel with a scalloped outer rim along with the legend in Kharoshthi which reads “Vrshni Rajana Ganasa (Trata)...” The coin is of a Very Fine grade and is Exceedingly Rare. While Classical Numismatic Gallery estimated the price between Rs. 1 Lakh and Rs. 1.5 Lakh, the final price realised in the auction was a jaw-dropping Rs. 27 Lakhs!

Ancient India is full of marvel and every time we turn the pages of it, we stumble upon something fascinating. Today we will study the Indian Temples on coins and revise the evolution of temple architecture! Numismatics has discovered various historical facts about Indian history. Every tiny piece of coin reveals the different story behind it.

Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 1973

Ancient Pakistan, volume 23, 2012

This monograph presents evidence of ancient coins of India to prove that so-called Śrivatsa, nandipāda, triratna symbol (and variants) constitute Indus Script Hypertexts, descriptive mint metalwork catalogues. The plain text of the Indus hypertext of the frequently used symbol or hieroglyph-multiplex, reads: dhatu ayo ḍhāḷako kammaṭa 'mineral, alloy metal, large ingot, mint'. Mahavamsa XXV,28 uses two words from this Indus Script text: ayo kammata. Here is an attestation from Ananda Coomaraswamy's note: [quote] Ayas: not in the Dictionary. This word is always used for iron... Mahavamsa, XXV, 28, ayo-kammata-dvara, "iron studded gate " (of a city) ; ib., 30, ayo-gulath, " iron balls "; ib., XXIX, 8, ayo-jala, an iron trellis used in the foundations of a stfipa. Reference might have been made to the iron pillars at Delhi and Dhar, and the use of iron in building at Konarak. [unquote] (Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Indian Architectural terms, in: American Oriental Society, Vol. 48, 1928, pp.250-275). Obverse:elephant PLUS five other Indus script hypertexts Reverse: four Indus Script hypertexts including dotted circle + fish-fin pair '-- dhatu dul ayo kammaṭa, 'mineral, alloy metal, metal casting mint' hypertext. Purushkapura Kanishka Stupa See: Bharhut stupa toraṇa: Architectural splendour of Meluhha Indus Script hieroglyphs, dharma-dhamma pilgrimage http://tinyurl.com/q97poy2 1899 engraving showing the remnants of the Kanishka stupa in Shaji-ki-Dheri. (84 meter diameter, original height> 200 meters!) Source: Gandhara,Philip von Zabern,2010.Identification of this Gandhara relief sculpture with the Kanishka Stupa: Hans Loeschner, “Money Talks ! Ancient Values Exchanged through Monetary Objects, Coins and Sealings“, pp. 2 - 15 in “It‘s a Deal! Dynamic Transactions“, Eds. Robert F. Lawson & Carol S. Lawson Chrysalis Reader @ 2012 Swedenborg Foundation Press The "Kanishka casket", dated to 127 CE, with the Buddha surrounded by Brahma and Indra, and Kanishka standing at the center of the lower part, British Museum. It was discovered in a deposit chamber under the monumental Kanishka stupa (described by Chinese pilgrims in the 7th century as the tallest stupa in all India), during the archeological excavations in 1908-1909 in Shah-ji-Dheri on the outskirts of Peshawar. It is said to have contained three bone fragments of the Buddha,[1] which were forwarded to Burma by the British following the excavation,[2] where they still remain. The casket is today at the Peshawar Museum, and a copy is in the British Museum. The casket is dedicated in Kharoshthi. The inscription reads: "(*mahara)jasa kanishkasa kanishka-pure nagare aya gadha-karae deya-dharme sarva-satvana hita-suhartha bhavatu mahasenasa sagharaki dasa agisala nava-karmi ana*kanishkasa vihare mahasenasa sangharame" "In the acceptance (i.e. for the acceptance) of the Sarvāstivādin teachers, this perfume box is the meritorious gift of Mahārāja Kanishka [ . . . jasa Kani] in the city of Kanishkapura [Kanishkapure nagare]. May (it) be for the welfare and happiness of all beings. . . . sa, the superintendent of construction of the refectory in Kanishka's vihāra [nashkasa vihare], in Mahāsena's saṁghārāma [Mahasenasa saṁgharame]." [3] "The servant (dasa) Agnisala, the superintendent of works at the vihara of Kanishka in the monastery of Mahasena" ("dasa agisala nava-karmi ana*kaniskasa vihara mahasenasa sangharame"). agnisala, is the refectory of the monastery. ( Prudence R. Myer: Again the Kanishka Casket, In: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 48, No. 3/4 (Sep.–Dec., 1966), pp. 396–403) Detail of the Buddha, surrounded by cherubs, with devotee or bodhisattva Detail of Kanishka, surrounded by the Sun-God and the Moon-God. A garland, supported by cherubs goes around the scene in typical Hellenistic style. Detail of the flight of sacred geese, or hamsa. The Bimaran Casket or reliquary on display in the British Museum, with a depiction of the Buddha, surrounded by Brahma (left) and Śakra (right). The Bimaran casket or Bimaran reliquary is a small gold reliquary for Buddhist relics that was found inside the stupa no.2 at Bimaran, near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. When it was found by the archaeologist Charles Masson during his work in Afghanistan between 1833 and 1838, the casket contained coins of the Indo-Scythian king Azes I. The most recent research however (2015) attributes the coins to Indo-Scythian king Kharahostes or his son Mujatria, who minted posthumous issues in the name of Azes. (DATING AND LOCATING MUJATRIA AND THE TWO KHARAHOSTES by Joe Cribb, 2015, p.27 et sig) The steatite box that contained the Bimaran casket. The Bimaran casket was kept in a steatite box, with inscriptions stating that it contained some relics of the Buddha. When opened in the 19th century, the box did not contain identifiable relics, but instead some burnt pearls, bead of precious and semi-precious stones, and the four coins of Azes II. The inscriptions written on the box are [2]: Main body of the container: "Shivaraksita mumjavamdaputrasa danamuhe niyadide bhagavata sharirehi sarvabudhana puyae" "Sacred gift of Shivaraksita, son of Munjavamda; presented for Lord's relics, in honour of all Buddhas" (Translation by Fussman) Lid of the container: "Shivaraksita mumjavamdaputrasa danamuhe bhagavata sharirehi" "Gift of Shivaraksita, son of Munjavamda; presented for Lord's relics" in honour of all Buddhas" (Translation by Fussman) Lid of the container: "Shivaraksita mumjavamdaputrasa danamuhe bhagavata sharirehi" "Gift of Shivaraksita, son of Munjavamda; presented for Lord's relics" The archeological find of the Azes II coins inside the casket would suggest a date between 30 BCE to 10 BCE. Azes II would have employed some Indo-Greek artists in the territories recently conquered, and made the dedication to a stupa. The coins are not very worn, and would therefore have been dedicated soon after their minting. Indo-Scythians are indeed known for their association with Buddhism, as in the Mathura lion capital. Such date would make the casket the earliest known representation of the Buddha: "In the art of Gandhara, the first known image of the standing Buddha and approximatively dated, is that of the Bimaran reliquary, which specialists attribute to the Indo-Scythian period, more particularly to the rule of Azes II"(Christine Sachs, "De l'Indus à l'Oxus")... The four coins in the Bimaran casket are of the same type: tetradrachms of debased silver in the name of Azes, in near-new condition.On the obverse they show a king on a horse to the right with right hand extended, with a three-pellet dynastic mark and a circular legend in Greek. The legend reads in corrupted Greek WEIΛON WEOΛΛWN IOCAAC(that is, ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΖΟΥ) "King of Kings Azes". On the reverse appears a figure of Tyche standing and holding a cornucopia, with a Kharoshthi legend.The legend reads 'Maharajasa mahatasa Dhramakisa Rajatirajasa Ayasa "The Great king followower of the Dharma, King of Kings Azes..." " One of the coins of the Bimaran casket, illustrated by Charles Masson.[5][6] Obv. Azes riding, with corrupted Greek legend (WEIΛON WEOΛΛWN IOCAAC) for ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΖΟΥ "King of Kings Azes", and Buddhist Triratna symbol behind the head of the king. Rev. City goddess Tyche standing left holding cornucopia and raised right hand. Kharoshthilegend Maharajasa mahatasa Dhramakisa Rajatirajasa Ayasa "The Great king followower of the Dharma, King of Kings Azes". Coin of Kharahostes, in the name of Azes. Obv. Azes riding, with corrupted Greek legend (WEIΛON WEOΛΛWN IOCAAC) for ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΑΖΟΥ "King of Kings Azes", and Buddhist Triratna symbol behind the head of the king. Rev. City goddess Tyche standing left holding cornucopia and raised right hand. Kharoshthilegend Maharajasa mahatasa Dhramakisa Rajatirajasa Ayasa "The Great king followower of the Dharma, King of Kings Azes" Left image: Dynastic mark (in front of the horse) on the coins of the Bimaran casket, British Museum . Right image: Dynastic mark on a coin of Kharahostes. The coins types and dynastic mark on the coins of the Bimaran Casket are characteristic of Kharahostes.("The crossroads of Asia", edited by Ellizabeth Errington and Joe Cribb, The ancient India and Iran Trust, 1992) The rare coins of Kujula Kadphises with a tripartite mark resembling the three-pellet mark of Kharahostes (here on the reverse), have coin types ("Laureate head and king seated") which are totally different from those of the Bimaran reliquary. And this is the only issue of Kujula where this symbol appears (http://grifterrec.rasmir.com/kushan/kushan.html ) The three-pellet symbol mark is not known from any other ruler either (apart from the son of Kharahostes Mujatria), Early Buddhist imagery includes coins of Indo-Greek kings such as Menander II (left, circa 90–85 BCE), in which Zeus, through Nike, hands a wreath of victory to a Wheel of the Law, or the Tillya Tepe Buddhist coin (right, 1st c.BCE-1st c.CE). Tillya Tepe coin: Obverse: The legend in Kharoshthi reads Dharmacakrapravata[ko] "The one who turned the Wheel of the Law".On the reverse, it depicts a lion with the Buddhist symbol of the triratna, with the Kharoshthi legend Sih[o] vigatabhay[o] "The lion who dispelled fear". Kushana chronology (Hans Loeschner, 2011)

ABDUL MOMIN CHOWDHURY (ed.) HISTORY OF BANGLADESH, VOL. 1 POLITICAL HISTORY, 2020

JOURNAL OF THE ORIENTAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY , 2019

Money and Money Mattersin Pre-Modern South Asia Nicholas G. Rhodes Commemoration Volume, 2019

Coins are as important as the inscription in history. They confirm the information derived fr om literature. They are of various metals – gold, silver, copper, or alloy and contain legends or simple marks. The coins are very important to the reconstruct of the ancient Indian history. It is a part of archaeological sources .Those with dates is prob ably very valuable for the framework of Indian chronology. Coins are almost our sole evidence with regarded to the Indo Scythian and Indo Bactrian King. The Bilingual coins had served as Rosetta Stones in deciphering the Ancient Indian writings. The purity of the metal reflects the financial conditions of the Gupta Empire. The inscription on the coin indicates territory over which the rulers ruled. Some coin throws significant light on the personal events of certain rulers. The discovery of the same kind of coins at different places helps up in fixing the coverage of various kingdoms in ancient India.

2010

It is both a pleasure and a privilege to offer this small piece of research in honour of Joe Cribb’s retirement from the British Museum. Joe’s past contributions to Indian numismatics are well-known and it is fitting that they be honoured. But I expect there is a lot more to come. This retirement could be a great gain for numismatic research as Joe will now have more time to publish his large backlog of unpublished work. So, rather than the unpublished PowerPoint presentations that he so freely shared, we will have finished papers fleshing out his ideas. The field of Kushan numismatics will be particularly enriched by this anticipated research output, and I look forward to it with keen anticipation. In this paper, I explore two aspects of Kushan numismatics, both building directly on Joe’s prior work. The first relates to the crowns on Kanishka’s bronze coinage, and the second to images of Shiva on Kushan coins.