Eran, Vidisha and Coins

 

Eran is an ancient town in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh in India. The name ''Eran'' (Erakaina, Erakanya or Erakina, in Sanskrit), as mentioned in the inscriptions of Samudragupta, is derived from Eraka, probably refers to a tall grass commonly called Elephant cattail or having a botanical name ''Typha elephantina, which grows around Eran in abundance. 

                                             

Eran coin 1/2 karshapana, five punch symbol type, 2nd century BC.

Eran is located on the south bank of Bina River, a tributary of river Betwa, about 100 kilometers north-northeast of the ancient Vidisha-Sanchi-Udayagiri site, about 80 kilometers west-northwest of Sagar. At the site, the river makes an inverted ''U'' turn, surrounding it with water on three sides.

                                             

Eran archaeological sitemap, 1880 AD sketch

 

The ancient city finds mention in Buddhist and Hindu texts, on ancient coins and inscriptions. The Saka (Indo-Scythian) king Sridharavarman, who ruled in Central India circa 339-368 AD, made an inscription on a small pillar at Eran, together with his Naga military commander. Bhanugupta later also wrote his inscription on the same pillar in 510 AD. 

                                           

Eran inscription of Saka King Sridharavarman, 339-368 AD

                                           

Location of the pillar of Sridharavarman with the inscription and that of Bhanugupta, 510 AD 

 

                                             

Eran stone pillar inscription of Bhanugupta

 The Budhagupta inscription is dated 484-485 AD. It is a Vaishnava inscription and describes the Gupta kingdom.

                                           

  Budhagupta pillar inscription

The Eran boar (Varaha) inscription of Toramana is a stone inscription with 8 lines of Sanskrit and is carved on the chest of a freestanding 11 feet high sandstone boar statue (Varaha) avtar of God Vishnu.

                                          

The Varaha ( Boar) statue with ruins in the 19th century, showing the relief on the boar's body.

 

A group of ancient Hindu temples are located to the west of the Eran town. All temples have a rectangular or square plan and are in a row.

The most remarkable temple is dedicated to the Varaha (Boar) avtar of Vishnu. It is a colossal theriomorphic representation of the Varaha legend, made of stone with intricate carving on the surface of its body. The boar presently stands in the open, but the foundation and stumps around it confirm that around it was walls and mandapa that formed a complete temple.

                                          

         Eran colossal boar statue

                                           

    Ruins with broken pillars in 1892 AD

Coins of Eran and Vidisha Region. Eran and Videsha were amongst the dominating urban centres of eastern Malwa in post Mauryan Central India. While Eran is situated on the southern bank of the Bina River, a tributary of Betwa river, Vidisha is on the eastern bank of Betwa, about 100 kilometers away. An early trade route connecting Pataliputra with Mathura passed through Eran-Vidisha. This region is the source of attractive and well executed copper coins. A large number of coins of different shapes and styles spanning the last few centuries of 1st millennium BC through the 7th century AD have been discovered here. The coins could be grouped under four categories. The punch-marked, the cast coins, the die struck and the inscribed coins. 

                                             

Eran, 1/2 karshapana, five punch ''symbol type'', 200-100 BC, weight 5.3 g, Ujjain symbol, Indradhvaja, railed tree, river, Blank reverse.

                                             

Eran, 1/2 karshapana, five punches, ''elephant type'', 2nd century BC, weight 5.5 g, elephant on left, railed tree in centre, lotus flower on the right, railed Indradhvaja on top, river at bottom, reverse blank.

                                            

Eran, 1/2 karshapana, five punch symbol type,2nd century BC, weight 4.5 g, lotus flower, railed tree and ''ujjain symbol'', railed Indradhvaj on top, river at bottom, reverse blank.

                                            

   

Vidarbha, die struck, weight 1.5 g, 200-100 BC, railed tree in center, taurine fixed in open railing on the left with a nandipada on top left, on the right is an Indradhvaj and at the bottom a river, reverse blank.

                                              

Vidisha, 1/2 karshapana, four punch type, 200-100 BC, weight 3.8 g, ''Ujjain symbol'' on left and railed tree on right, river at the bottom, legend punch on top reading damabhadasa, Damru symbol flanked by two swastikas on reverse.

                                              

Eran Vidisha, symbol type,1/2 karshapana, 2nd century BC, weight 6.1 g, four punches, Ujjain symbol, tree in railing, on reverse Ujjain symbol with a Srivatsa in two opposite orbs

                                               

Eran-Vidisha, 1 karshapana, 200-100 BC, weight 6.1 g, animal type, railed Indradhvaja in centre, taurine, six-armed symbol.

  

                                                  

Eran-Vidisha, uninscribed, copper, 200-100 BC, four punches, Triangle headed standard in a ''Damru'' shaped bracket, horse walking right, Ujjain symbol, river with fishes and turtles, reverse blank.

                                       

                                               

Eran-Vidisha, uninscribed, 2nd century BC, tree in railing, nandipada, taurine in semicircle, swastika, river with fishes and tortoise below. Reverse blank

Eran

Eran and Vidisha

Eran and Vidisha Coins