Ancient and Midieval Indian Coins

Since ancient times, India had been an important center of trade and commerce. A self-sustaining country, India’s socio-economic history is rich and diverse. As early as the 1^st millennium BCE, India had already established a coinage system. Throughout the ancient and medieval times, there were countless types of coins being distributed throughout the country.  Were they being used in ancient casinos as well?

· The First Coinage of India was distributed in the northern and central areas, sometime in the 5^th century BC. While it is not acknowledged universally, some historians and archaeologists believe that it is the first coinage in the world.

· The Coins of the Indo-Greek Dynasties bore the faces of rulers Menander I and Appolodotus I and the words “BASILEOS SOTHROS” which means “Savior King.” The next set of coins in this era was made of silver and stamped by the King of Syria, Demetrius I.

· The Gold Coins of the Kushan Dynasty indicates that the people of this empire (1^st Century BC to 230 AD) were prosperous. On the face of the coins were the images of their ruler, Kanishka, standing in an altar indicating that the Indians highly valued religion during this period.

· The Gupta Dynasty Coins were circulated during the reign of Chandragupta II, Samudragupta, and Kumaragupta. The first batches of coins depicted the faces of Chandragupta I and his wife, Queen Kumaradevi.

· The Western Ganga Dynasty ruled the western part of India from 350 to 1000 CE. Their coins had elephant images symbolizing the Indians’ adoration of these animals during that era. The Kshatrapa Dynasty coins also showed the face of their ruler, Nahapana, who made this dynasty very powerful in western and central India.

· The Chola Dynasty ruled over southern India in the 13^th Century. The coins in this era were made of gold and copper, depicting images of animals such as the tiger, and goddesses.

· The Mughal Dynasty ruled in northern India during the 1500s led by Babur the Tiger. The coinage of Babur was made of gold and silver, reflecting original and creative designs.

· During the 17^th century, the powerful Maratha Dynasty became the supreme power throughout India. The Maratha coins were made of gold, silver, and copper, bearing the titles: Sri Raja Siva and Chatrapti.

· The East India Company was a British trading company that exchanged goods such as cotton, tea, opium, and silk. The first of their coinage were made of copper called Anglina. They also issued rupees featuring King William III and Queen Mary. Later on, they produced rupees and stuiver made of bronze.

· The Princely States of India are areas that had sovereignty and were not controlled by Britain. Their coins showed images of the rulers, from Sir Sadiq Mohammed V of the Bahawalpur State to Bala Rama Varma II of the Travancore State.

· During the 17^th century, some kingdoms that reigned separately from the rest of India were called Independent Kingdoms. One of these kingdoms, Sikkim, depicted its socio-economic as well as political independence in its coinage. The coins of Assam and Tripura were silver rupees which were also among those distributed in these kingdoms.

Ancient Indian coins were made of gold, silver, copper, and bronze. The designs and patterns say so much about their life during that period. Today, the currency of India is the rupee, also called rupiya, roopayi, rubai, and roopa.