Lectures on Ancient Indian Numismatics (Carmichael Lectures, 1921) c10.55

c10.55

How long the Dīnāra denomination lasted in India we do not know. Certainly it continued to circulate till the early mediæval period, that is, the seventh century A.D., when the Bṛihaspati and Kātyāyana Smṛitis were compiled. For we have already seen that these law books make specific mention of Dīnāra as a synonym of Suvarṇa. Of about the same age is an inscription at Bodh Gayā, which speaks of the plastering and whitewashing of the temple at the cost of 250 Dīnāras. For the reasons adduced by T. Bloch, the well-known gold coins of Gupta mintage are meant here by the Dīnāras.² In the late mediæval period, however, the word was used in the sense of coined money or cash. It thus ceased to be the designation of any particular monetary value. The Rājataraṅgiṇī, e.g., which has to be ascribed to the 11th century A.D., speaks of ‘dinnāras’ of gold, silver and copper.³ Dīnāras are also mentioned not only in round hundreds and thousands but also lakhs and crores, so as to make it manifestly impossible for Dīnāra to be any gold or even silver coin.