History of old Indian coins goes back to the ancient times when Indian Subcontinent was divided into multiple Janapadas. Let’s take a look at six amazing coins that were issued by six different Janapadas.

Silver Karshapana of Avanti Janapada

This old coin of India was issued under an unknown ruler of Avanti Janapada way back between 500 BC and 400 BC. It bears the denomination Karshapana and was struck using 3.2 to 3.4 grams of silver. They are generally found in irregular roundish or square shapes. This particular example is listed as type 444 from Rajgor Series 22 and is considered to be rare. They were struck using a punch-marked minting technique to produce four different symbols. The obverse side depicts an elephant and a deer facing towards the right, along with two unknown symbols. If you like collecting coins based on Elephant and Deer themes, you should definitely look for this variety. Avanti Kingdom was located in present-day Malwa region. People from this kingdom were considered to be very powerful according to Udyoga Parva of Mahabharata.

5 Shana Silver Coin of Kashi Janapada

These ancient Indian coins were issued by an unknown ruler from the Kashi Janapada between 600 BC and 525 BC. This 5 Shana coin was struck using 6.4 grams of silver using the punch-marked minting technique. These rare historical coins are listed as type 642 from Rajgor Series 49. They were produced with the help of four punches to create two abstract symbols and two flowers. The reverse side was left blank. There is a considerable demand for rare ancient coins like this silver coin from Kashi Janapada. Kashi was located in present-day Varanasi region and was considered to be one of the most powerful ancient states of north-India.



Silver Vimshatika of Kosala Janapada

These old Indian coins were issued for Kosala Janapada that existed within the Indian subcontinent from 525 BC to 465 BC. It bears the denomination Vimshatika and was struck using 4.4 grams of silver. These scarce Indian ancient coins were produced using the punch-marked minting technique to create four abstract symbols. Kosala promoted Sramana movements like Jainism and Buddhism. Artefacts recovered from this region were different from the Painted Grey Ware of the Vedic Aryans from Kuru-Panchala regions.

Silver Karshapana of Vanga Janapada

These ancient coins of India were issued for Vanga Janapada. The Janapada existed for a short period of 50 years from 550 BC and 500 BC. It holds the denomination Karshapana and was struck using 3.5 grams of debased silver. These punch-marked coins featured a very interesting design. Three punches were used to create a design depicting a boat, a wheel, a circle and eight dots around it. Vanga Janapada was located in southern Bengal and was known for its war elephants and navy.

1/2 Karshapana Silver coin of Kalinga Janapada

These Indian Old Coins were struck somewhere around 500 BC to 260 BC for Kalinga Janapada. Considering the fact that the silver coin weighs 1.7 grams to 1.85 grams, its denomination is 1/2 Karshapana. They are considered to be scarce in the world of numismatics and were produced using the punch marked minting technique. It depicts four punch marked symbols of a deer facing towards the left, two flower symbols and a seed drill. The reverse side of these coins was left blank. Ancient Kalinga was located in present-day Orrisa, some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It was first captured by Nanda Dynasty and later again by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd Century BCE after winning the infamous Kalinga War.

1/2 Karshapana Silver coin of Kuru Janapada

These coins of ancient India belong to Kuru Janapada that existed from 400 BC to 250 BC. It is interesting to note here that Babyal Janapada is also been recognized as Kuru Janapada. It bears the denomination 1/2 Karshapana and weighs around 1.5 grams to 1.6 grams. These silver coins were struck using the punch-marked minting technique and feature a single abstract symbol. Kuru Janapada was located in the modern-day states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It was the first kingdom that transformed into a state-level society within the Indian subcontinent.

Keep researching about these old Indian coins and discover more interesting facts about our glorious past!