Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c9.s2.6

c9.s2.6

A study of these symbols over 500 in number, brings to our view a strange world, believing in the representation or depiction of the beliefs of the people in the form of various symbols or signs. The foremost place is taken by the solar symbol, Sūrya, which is found almost without exception on all the Puncha-marked coins of ancient India. Sūrya is represented as a rayed figure with a circle in the centre having a point or pellet within it. The rays are both thick and thin, straight and curved. The next place is given to a six-armed symbol (Shaḍara, Hindi छरारा) which consists of six spokes crossing at centre, the six arms being tipped by ovals, globes, tridents, taurines, arrow-heads, triangles, balls, heart-shaped signs, dumbles, etc.