An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c8.s1.t3: 3.1.5 The Deccan and S. India
An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c8.s1.t3
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3.1.5 The Deccan and S. India
v1.c8.s1.t3.1
Side by side with the coinage of N. and C. India there was that of the Deccan and the S. coastline. Different techniques for manufacturing coins had evolved in the S. at an early stage and had reached a reasonable degree of perfection by the Sātavāhana period. But the acceptance of die-striking which became the only major technique in the N. at an early date does not, for some reason or other, find its expected parallel in the s. In fact the practice of punch-ing small devices on one side of the coins, leaving the other side completely blank, persisted in the s. and was one of the major techniques current towards the close of the period. Gold and copper were primarily used for s. coinage, silver being very rare. There were two denomi-nations in gold, the *hon varāha* or *pagoda* (weighing 3·240 to 3·888 g) and the *fanam* (weighing ·324 to ·388 g), based respectively on the weights of two seeds, the *Kalañju* and the *mañjāḍi*. Copper coins were called *kāśu*. The rare silver coins appear to follow the gold standard. Gold coins had an independent development in the s. The earliest specimens, of doubtful age, are spherules of plain gold with a minute punch-mark on one side; these developed into the cup-shaped *padma-ṭaṅkas*, stamped with punches, first on one side only and later on both. Finally came die-struck pieces, of which the small thick Vijayanagara *pagodas* are the typical s. form. Another characteristic feature of s. Indian coinage is the preference for tiny coins.
v1.c8.s1.t3.2
The earliest known coins of s. India are punch-marked coins of the n. Indian variety. After the downfall of the Mauryas die-struck coins, uninscribed and inscribed, were current all over the Deccan particularly in the Āndhra and Pāṇḍyan countries. For the first time lead was used for coins and this remained the primary metal for the Deccan coinage for a considerable time. The Sātavāhanas issued lead coins and also silver ones with their life-like portraits with legends in s. Brāhmī on the obverse and in n. Brāhmī on the reverse. During the first two centuries of the Christian era the currency of the s. consisted chiefly of imported Roman gold, several hoards of which have been found at various places. A certain quantity of Roman silver too must have been in circulation, while the small copper pieces bearing Ro-man devices and legends were probably local produc-tions. In the 3rd century a.d. the Ikṣvākus issued their coins in the e. Deccan in imitation of the Sātavāhana pot in coins. Later on copper coins were issued by the Śālaṅkāyanas, Viṣṇukuṇḍins and early Pallavas. There seems to be a gap in the numismatic history of Karnataka and Maharashtra immediately after the fall of the Sātavāhanas. This gap was not very wide in the w. Dec-can, where the Traikūṭakas issued silver coins in imita-tion of the coins of the W. Kṣatrapas. The earliest coins assignable to the Chalukyas of Badami are certain *pagodas* and *fanams* and some copper coins bearing the symbol of boar. In the e. Deccan the Chalukyas of Veṅgī issued a large number of copper and base silver coins having a conventionalized lion device. The most striking feature of s. Indian coins from the 10th century is the emergence of an indigenous gold coinage. Initially gold may have been issued by the royal dynasties of the Coḷas and the E. and W. Chalukyas, but gradually a number of feudatory lines such as the Kadambas of Karnataka and Goa, the W. Gaṅgas and the Yādavas of Devagiri began to issue gold coins of their own. The use of silver was very limited and sporadic, both in space and time. The copper currency is not evenly distributed in different parts of s. India. Tamil Nadu had an almost unbroken series of copper coinage and thus shows a consistent and regular use of coined money in economic transactions. The use of copper in Āndhra was very limited after the 7th century, and the same seems to be true of Karnataka and Maharashtra as well. From the extreme s.-w. only one silver coin type having Nāgarī legends on both sides has been attributed to the Cera dynasty of Kerala.