Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c27.5

c27.5

§ 124. Pāṇḍya. — Territory: the extreme south of the peninsula. After the punch-marked coinage, which here as elsewhere no doubt belongs to a very early period (v. sup. § 4) the most ancient Pāṇḍyan coins seem to be those, which, while retaining the original square form, bear a die-struck type — an elephant — on one side only; and, somewhat later, those which have types on both sides. It is almost certain that, in accordance with the usage of Southern India, historical facts are expressed by the heraldic symbols which occur on these coins in conjunction with the chief types, and it is, therefore, possible that the varying number of these symbols may afford data for a further chronological arrangement of the coins. These coins have been assigned to a period ending c. 300 A.D.; and the general resemblance which they bear in style and workmanship to coins of the Andhras (§ 87) and Pallavas (§ 128) makes this attribution not improbable.