Arachosia, Vedic Interlinking and Coins

 

''Arachosia'' is the Hellenized name of an ancient satrapy that existed in the eastern part of  the Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Scythian empires.                                      

Bactria and Arachosia, Sophyte's Satrapy, 315-305 BC, Drachm

                                         

An Arachosian, Relief from the East Stairs of the Apadana, Persepolis 

Arachosia was named after a river that runs through it, known in ancient Greek as the Arachotos and today as the Arghandab River, a left bank tributary of the Helmand River, in modern day southern Afghanistan. In old Persian inscriptions, the region is referred to as ''harauvati''. This form is the ''etymological equivalent'' of Vedic Sanskrit Saraswati.                               

The capital of Arachosia was Alexandropolis, an ancient Greek city that was situated near what is known as Kandahar. Arachosia bordered Drangiana to the west, Paropamisadae (ie Gandhara, a large part of ancient India to its east) to the north and Gedrosia/Dexendrusi to the south

                                        

Eastern territories of the Achaemenid Empire, including Arachosia

                                             

The ancient Arachosia and the Pactyan people during 500 BC    

                                       

The Rigvedic name of Arghandab is believed to be Drishadvati. The Drishadvati river is a river hypothesized by Indolologists to identify the route of the Vedic river Saraswati and the state of Brahmavarta. The Hindu religious text Manusmriti describes Brahmavarta as the region between the rivers Saraswati and Drishadwati, the land of Brahaman. The name has been translated in various ways, including ''holy land'', ''sacred land'', ''abode of gods'' and ''the scene of creation''.                                     

The Saraswati River, the Drishadvati was probably a tributary, orange and blue lines indicate ancient rivers, green dotted and blue lines indicate modern rivers
                                     

According to Manusmriti, the Brahmavarta, where the Rishis composed the Vedas and other Sanskrit texts of the Vedic religion, was at the confluence of the Saraswati and Drishadwati rivers during the Vedic period. Seal dated to Gupta period with inscription ''Brahm Varta'' was excavated from Purana Qila, Delhi.

                                     

    Helmand-Arghandab basin terrain map
   

                                       

     Helmand-Arghandab basin

The region is referred to in the Achaemenid era Elamite Persepolis fortification tablets. It appears in the Old Persian, Akkadian and Aramaic inscriptions too. Ptolemy also refers to a city named Arachotus and Hsuan Tsang refers to the name as Kaofu.

                                        

   Tablet of Elamite script, 2600 BC

 Following Alexander's conquest of the Achaemenids, the Macedonian appointed his generals as governors. Later the Seleucid empire traded it to the Mauryan Empire in 305 BC as part of an alliance. According to Arrian, Megasthenes lived in Arachosia and travelled to Patliputra, to the court of Chandragupta Maurya as an ambassador in the 3rd century BC. 

                                        

According to Arrian, Megasthenes lived in Arachosia and travelled to Pataliputra, to the lower court of Chandragupta Maurya

                                          

Kandahar Billingular Rock Inscription by Ashoka

The empire changed to the Shunga dynasty in 185 BC, then to the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, thereafter to the Indo-Greek kingdom in the mid 2nd century BC, the Indo Scythians in the mid 1st century BC, the Indo -Parthians in the 1st century AD, the Kushans around 230 AD, the Kidarites in 420 AD, the Hephthalites in 460 AD and finally the Saffarids, then the Samanid Empire and the Turkish Ghaznavids in the early 11th century AD.

                                          

Mercator Map, 1578, Asiae- Tabula IX

Croatian trace their origin to the area of Arachosia too. 

Coins of Arachosia

                                         

Arachosia, Indo-Parthian, copper alloy, weight 7.8 gm, Diameter  22.8 mm, Obverse: Portrait of Sarpedones facing left, Reverse: Nike/ Victory right, inscription on reverse in Prakrit, Inscription in Greek on obverse, ''dara dhamiya''  (in British Museum)

                                          

Arachosia, Indo-Parthian, Orthagnes, copper alloy, weight 7.9 gm, diameter 23.8 mm, Obverse: Bust of Orthagnes facing left, Reverse: Nike/Victoria right, inscriptions in Greek, Prakrit and Kharoshthi

                                             

One Tetradrachm, Arachosia, 312-281 BC, silver, weight 16.4 gm, Diameter 24 mm, Obverse: Hercules wearing lion's skin facing right, Reverse: Zeus Aetophoros seated left with two concentric circles below the throne, all without legend

 

                                            

Indo-Scythian, AR hemi drachm, 110-100 BC, weight 0.65 gm, Obverse: Horse walking right, with head turned left, Reverse: Winged Nike holding wreath and palm, square border around

                                          

One Drachm, Sophyte's Satrapy, 315-305 BC, silver, weight 3.3 gm, Obverse: Head of Sophytes facing right, Reverse: Rooster facing right with kerykeion behind

                                      

City of Puskalavati, Arachosia, 201-101 BC, Bronze, weight 10.6 gm, Obverse: Elephant walking right, Reverse: Lion walking left with swastika above

                         

Indo-Scythian, Arachosia, 110-100 BC, AR Hemidrachm, weight 1.6 gm, diameter 14.5 mm, Obverse: Horse advancing right, Reverse: Nike standing right, holding wreath

 

Arachosia

Coins of Arachosia

Jodhpur State (1818-1947) and Coins

 

Jodhpur State, historically known as the Kingdom of Marwar, was a kingdom in the Marwar region from 1226 to 1818 and a princely state under the British rule from 1818 to 1947. Its capital was the city of Jodhpur since 1450. Covering an area of 93,424 square km, Jodhpur was the largest state in British India after Jammu and Kashmir State and Hyderabad State.

                                     

One Mohur, George VI, 1940-1943, Umaid Singh, 
  

The Rathore rulers of the princely state of Jodhpur were of an ancient dynasty established in the 8th century. They claim to be descendants of Rastrakuta dynasty. On the fall of the Rastrakuta dynasty, they migrated north and formed their kingdom in Kannauj as Gahadavala dynasty. Their descendants migrated to Marwar and established the Rathore dynasty. The dynasty's fortunes were made by Rao Jodha, first of the rulers of the Rahore dynasty in Jodhpur in 1459. Of the 15 rulers that preceded Jodha, nine died on the battlefield, six of them against foreign armies. Jodha's son himself died after a battle in which he saved 140 women from the raiders.

Flag

                                        

Coat of Arms                               

The kingdom remained independent until it was annexed by the Mughal Empire in 1581 after the death of Chandrasen Rathore. It remained under the Mughals until Udai Singh was restored to the throne as a vassal and given the title of Raja in 1583. 

                                        

Jodhpur State in the Imperial Gazetteer of India

                                       

   Rao Chandrasen of Marwar

        Raja Udai Singhji

                                   

During the late 17th century it was under Emperor Aurangzeb. During this time Durgadas Rathore struggled to preserve the Rahore dynasties and freed Marwar from the Mughal Empire after 31 years of war. In the late 18th and 19th centuries  the kingdom was overrun by the Maratha hordes of Scindia and Holkar. 

Because of the internal problems, in January 1818, Raja Man Singh entered into a subsidiary alliance, after which the Raja of Mewar (or Jodhpur) continued as rulers of a princely state. 

                                           

        Maharaja Man Singh

The Maharajas of Jodhpur originally had a gun salute of 19 guns. This was however reduced to 17 guns in 1870 due to a quarrel with the Maharaja of Udaipur.

The armies of Jodhpur State fought in World War I for the British. The Jodhpur Lancers with the support of the Mysore Lancers defeated a large force of Turks and Germans in the Battle of Haifa (1918). Following Indian Independence in 1947, Maharaja Hanwant Singh, the last ruler of Jodhpur state, delayed signing the Instrument of Accession to India. But due to effective persuasion by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Maharaja acceded in April 1949.   

                                              

Raj Rajeshwar Maharaj Hanwant Singh, 1947/1952

                                            

Umaid Bhawan Palace, built from 1929 to 1943

                                           

Mehrangarh Fort, constructed in 1459 AD
 

Coins of Jodhpur State

                                            

1/4 Anna, Edward VII, Sardar Singh, 1901-1910, copper, weight 10.5 gm, Obverse: Legend in Persian, Jodhpur, Pau Anna, Sardar Singh, in the name of Edward VII, lettering 1906, Reverse: Daroga mark, in Devnagari, ''Ma'' all within a circle of dots

                                           

  

1/4 Anna, George VI, Umaid Singh, 1944-1945, copper, weight 2.6 gm, Obverse: Umaid Singh, Persian 6 below Daroga's mark, for George VI, Reverse: Umaid Singh

                                               

One Takka, Takhat Singh, 1843-1873 AD, copper, weight 21.5 gm, Obverse: Lettering Victoria

                                               

   

Half Rupee, Victoria, Sardar Singh, 1898, silver, weight 5.6 gm
 

                                                 

  

One Rupee, Shah Alam II, Pali mint, silver, weight 11.3 gm, Obverse: Shah Alam II,  Dagger

                                               

  

One Rupee, Shah Alam II, Sojat mint, 1790-1792  AD, silver, weight 11.4 gm, Obverse: Shah Alam II, Reverse: Fictitious mint name, Jodhpur

                                             

  

One Rupee, Victoria, Jaswant Singh, 1872-1873, silver, weight 11.3 gm, Obverse: Swastika mint mark, ''ba-zaman-i-mubarak queen victoria mallika mua'zzamah inglistan -o-hindustan'', Reverse: Jhar and sword, mint marks VS 1929 date on top, lettering ''shree mataji''

1/4 Mohur, George V, Umaid Singh, 1918-1935, gold, weight 2.7 gm, Obverse: Ba-zaman-i-mubarak, george 5, jhar and daroga mark, pancham shah-i-inglistan, emperor-i-hindustan, Reverse: VS Date, shri mataji bahadur, shri umaid (sword +22) singh maharaja-dhiraj zarb jodhpur

 

                                                

One Mohur, George VI, Umaid Singh, 1940-1943, gold, weight 11.0 gm, Obverse: Ba-zaman-i-mubarak, george 6, jhar and daroga mark, shesham shah-i-inglistan, emperor-i-hindustan, Reverse: VS Date, samat shri mataji bahadur, shri umaid singh, Maharaja-dhiraj zarb jodhpur

Jodhpur State

Jodhpur State Coins
   

                                              

                                                

Aphrodite and Coins

 

Aphrodite, ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, is identified with Venus by the Romans. Aphrodite is said to have been born near her chief centre of worship, Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, which is why she is sometimes called ''Cyprian''. Widely worshipped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring, she was also honoured as a goddess of war, specially at Sparta, Thebes, Cyprus and other places. Primarily, she was known as a goddess of love and fertility and occasionally presided over marriage.

                                       

Cicilia, Nagidos, 400-385 BC, AR Stater, Aphrodite seated left
 

Some scholars believe Aphrodite's worship came to Greece from the East, many of her attributes recall the ancient Middle Eastern goddess Ishtar and Astarte. In Book VIII of the Odyssey, Aphrodite was mismatched with Hephaestus, the lame smith god, and she consequently spent her time philandering with the handsome god of war, Ares (by whom she became the mother of Harmonia, the warrior twins Phobos and Deimos, and Eros, the god of love).

                                         

Aphrodite rides side-saddle on the back of a goose. She holds a plant frond and wears a head scarf (sakkos), 460 BC, British Museum, London

Of Aphrodite's mortal lovers, the most important were the Trojan shepherd Anchises, by whom she became the mother of Aeneas, and the handsome youth Adonis, who was killed by a boar while hunting and was lamented by women at the festival of Adonia. The cult of Adonis and Aphrodite was also connected with the dead at Delphi.

Aphrodite's main centres of worship were at Paphos and Amathus on Cyprus and on the island of Cythera, a Minoan colony, where in prehistoric times her cult probably originated. On the Greek mainland, Corinth was the chief centre of her worship.

Representations of Aphrodite in early Greek art are fully dressed and without distinguishing features that differentiate her from other goddesses. 

                                       

Early fifth century BC statue of Aphrodite from Cyprus, showing her wearing a cylinder crown and holding a dove

   

She first attained individuality at the hands of the great 5th century BCE Greek sculptors. Perhaps the most famous of all statues of Aphrodite was carved by Praxiteles for the Cnidians. The first full scale nude, it later became the model for such Hellenistic masterpieces as the Venus de Milo (2nd century BCE). 

                                                         

Aphrodite of Cnidus, Roman marble copy of Greek statue by Praxiteles, 350 BCE, in the Vatican Museum

                                        

Aphrodite, Pudica, Roman copy of 2nd century AD, National Archaeological Museum, Athens                                     

Coins of Aphrodite

                                        

Cilicia, Nagidos, 400-385 BC, AR Stater, weight 10.5 gm Obverse: Aphrodite seated left, holding patera, to right, Eros, standing left, grasping Aphrodite's arm and holding wreath, Reverse: Bearded Dionysos, drapery hanging from arms, standing left, grape bunch hanging from wine

                                         

Caria, Knidos, Drachm, 500-490 BC, weight 6.1 gm, Obverse: Forepart of lion, Reverse: Head of Aphrodite, wearing necklace, all within incuse square

                                         

Caria, Knidos, 465-449 BC, silver Drachm, weight 6.1 gm, Obverse: Forepart of lion right with mouth open, Reverse: Head of Aphrodite to right, all within incuse square 

                                           

Sicily, Messana, 215-202 BC, weight 2.4 gm, Obverse: Head of Aphrodite, Reverse: Warrior standing, holding sheathed sword and spear, trophy and monogram

                                          

Phyrygia, Laodikeia, 2nd century BC, bronze, weight 2.0 gm, Obverse: Diademed head of Aphrodite to right, Reverse: Aphrodite standing front, head to left, holding dove in right hand, to left rose

                        

                                            

Corinth, 350-306 BC, silver Drachm, weight 2.1 gm, Obverse: Pegasos flying left, quoppa below, Reverse: Head of Aphrodite left with hair bound in a sakkos monogram in lower right field.

Aphrodite

Coins of Aphrodite

   

Jhalawar State (1838-1949) and Coins

 

Jhalawar State was a princely state in India during the British Raj. It was located in the Hadoti region. The main town in the state was Jhalawar. The state belonged to the Kotah-Jhalawar Agency which had headquarters at Kota and was a subdivision of the Rajputana Agency.

                                     

Nazarana Rupee,  Zalim Singh, VS 1915, New Madan Shahi series  

In 1771, Raja of Kota died, leaving an infant as his heir, and the regency was settled upon Zalim Singh, a descendant of Madhu Singh. Zalim Singh was an outstanding administrator and an astute negotiator. Under his administration which lasted for over forty years, the state attained an acme of prosperity and was well regarded by all its neighbours. However, he dominated the Raja of Kota and reduced him to the status of a virtual non-entity. Kota, meanwhile entered into a treaty relations with the British, but Zalim Singh attained a status of respectability exceeding that of his nominal overlord, the young Raja of Kota, and enjoyed leverage with the British that the Raja of Kota did not. With this influence, it was resolved in 1838, with the grudging consent of the chief of Kota, to dismember the state and create a new principality, which would be ruled by descendants of Zalim Singh. 

Flag

                                       

Coat of Arms

                                         

                                       

Jhalawar State in the Imperial Gazetteer of India
  

Zalim Singh belonged to the Jhala clan of Chandravanshi. The various districts thus severed from Kota , represented one-third of the income of Kota, and acknowledged the suzerainty of the British. In return, Madan Singh, the heir of Zalim Singh, received the title of Maharaja Rana. 

                                     

 Maharaja Rana Zalim Singh Bahadur

                                       

Jhalawar Fort, built by Rana Madan Singh in mid 19th century

As the first independent ruler of Jhalawar, he died in 1845. In 1875, an adopted son of his successor took the name of Zalim Singh again. However, as his relations with the British government became strained, he was deposed in 1896. 

After much consideration, in 1897, the state was broken up, restoring the greater part to Kota, but forming two districts of Shahabad and the Chaumahla, into a new state of 2100 sq km, which was formed in 1899, and of which Kunwar Bhawani Singh, a descendant of the original Zalim Singh, was appointed chief. 

                                          

 Maharaja Rana Shri Bhawani Singh Bahadur

The population of the state was 90,175 in 1901, with an estimated revenue of 26,000 Pounds. The rulers were entitled to a 17 gun salute. 

Coins of Jhalawar State

                                              

One Rupee, Old Madan Shahi, 1843-1844, silver, weight 11.2 gm, Obverse: Inscription Bahadur Shah II, Reverse: Mint mark and Regnal year                                      

                                           

One Rupee, New Madan Shahi, VS 1915, AD1858, silver, weight 11.2 gm, Obverse: Inscription Victoria Badshah Inglistan, Reverse: Leaf Mint mark and Regnal year 

                                           

One Rupee, New Madan Shahi, 1887-2898, silver, weight 11.2 gm, Obverse: Victoria Badshah Inglistan, Reverse: Jhalawar State Leaf, RY 37

   

                                              

2 Paisa, VS 1915, AD 1858, copper, weight 18 gm, Obverse: Victoria Badash Inglistan

                                            

1/8 Rupee, RY 9, Muhammad Bahadur II, 

                                           

Nazarana Rupee, New Madan Shahi series, VS 1915, silver, weight 11.2 gm, Obverse: Malika-e-muazzama victoria badshah inglistan, Reverse: sana julus zarb jhalawar at bottom

Jhalawar State

Coins of Jhalawar State