India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c15.9

c15.9

FIGS. 13-20. Silver punch-marked coins or *Kārshapaṇas* (pp. 263-5) of the wt. standard of 32 *rattis*; actual wt. is more often a little less owing to wear and tear. They bear on the obverse a regular group of five symbols (*rūpa*, V.2.120) of which two are constant, viz., Sun and Six-armed symbol, which is often designated by numismatists as a *Shaḍara Chakra*. This symbol holds the key to the age of the coin by the varying form of its spokes, consisting on some of three ovals and three taurines (No. 15), on others of three ovals and three arrow-heads (Nos. 13, 14, 18), and on some of three taurines and three arrow-heads (Nos. 19, 20). The first variety (Early) may be assigned to the fifth, the second (Intermediate) to the fourth, and the last (Late) to the third century B.C. (Maurya Period). The coin shown as Fig. 17 is specially noteworthy, as on it the Sun and Six-armed symbols have been replaced by a group of three human figures. This specimen comes from Charsadda in the Peshawar district (ancient Pushkalāvatī, capital of Apara-Gandhāra).