THE SHAKYA COINS

THE SHAKYA COINS

The Coin Galleries: Shakya Janapada

Perhaps some of the earliest known coins from India, these crude punch-marked coins were first found in the town of Narhan in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. The Shakya janapada (also called Vajji or Lichchavi janapada) was located on the Indo-Nepal border north of the modern town of Gorakhpur. Its capital was Kapilavastu. The birthplace of the Buddha, Lumbini (Nepal), was ten miles east of Kapilavastu. The Buddha's father, Suddhodhana, was, according to Rajgor, the elected president of the Shakyas.

The coins were probably made from thick sheets of silver, which were then cut down to size to attain the proper weight. Then a central punch was applied, rendering the coin somewhat scyphate in shape. Many of the coins bear a central pentagonal symbol, while others carry other geometric symbols. Some of the coins below also carry additional punches around the central symbol. In all probability, these were banker's marks.

According to Rajgor, the Shakya coinage adhered to a shatamana standard of 100 rattis. The shatamana was divided into 8 shana. All the coins illustrated below would then be 5-shana (5/8 shatamana) pieces of 62.5 rattis (7.29 gm.) McIntyre asserts they are double karshapanas of 64 rattis (7.46 gm.); however, he reports a weight range of 6.96 gm. to 7.22 gm., which would place all of his coins neatly within the 5-shana weight. All of the coins here also fall below the 7.29 gm. threshold. No Shakya coins of any other weight denomination are known.

Collected by Mr.Prayuj Shakya.
Member of Shakya Community Worldwide