Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c5.t4.181

c5.t4.181

The most frequent mention, however, is that of a class of coins called *kahāpaṇas* (skt. *Kārṣāpaṇas*).¹⁰ This *kahāpaṇa* appears to have been of three varieties, according as it was of gold, silver and copper,¹¹ though gold *kahā- paṇa is very seldom referred to. Thus in the *Gāmani-caṇḍa Jātaka*¹ where the pair of oxen and the horse are priced at 24 and 1000 *kahāpaṇas* respectively, they must be silver *kahāpaṇas* “as copper or gold *kahāpaṇas* would be too low or too high a price to pay for those animals.”²