Audumbaras and Coins

 

Audumbara is one of the most prominent ancient Himachal Pradesh tribes. They lived in the lower hill region of Himachal Pradesh somewhere between Chamba and Sirmaur and their capital is said to be known by the name of Kotesvara. They find mention in Mahabharata and other historical texts as well as was mentioned as Odemboerce by Pliny in his book ''Historia Naturalis''. Six of their coins were found at Pathankot along with Indo Greek and Kushan coins. A large number of their coins were found at Irippal in Kangra District. On the basis of provenances of their coins, Audumbaras has been located in the area formed by the valley of the Beas or the wider region between the upper Sutlej and the Ravi.

                       

Audumbara, Bhagvata Mahadeva, silver Drachm

 

According to Mahabharata, the Audumbar were descendants of sage Vishvamitra, who is the founder of gotra ''Kauskika" and were settled in the route of Taxila to the Gangetic valley and Magadha to Kashmir. Buddhist scholar Chandragomin referred them as a section of the Shalvas and are mentioned in ''Satapatha Brahmana". They are believed to be of Indo-Greek origin and converted to Hinduism in the 1st century BC.  

                       

Location of the Audumbaras

 

Numismatic consideration tends to place the Audumbaras in the period extending from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD, however, literary references indicate that they flourished long before the 2nd century BC. Panini's reference says they existed in the 5th century BC.  During the period from 2nd century BC to 1st century AD, they had an independent status and they issued coins. It is just possible that they too might have submitted to the Mighty Maurya like the other two tribes of the area, Kuninda and the Yaudheya, and may have again emerged after the fall of the Mauryas. There is no coinage attributed to them in the 3rd and 4th century AD.

The Audumbara coins were struck in the name of the community and the king. They have legends in both Kharosthi and Brahmi. Those with Kharosthi script indicate the time about 100 BC and these coins resemble the hemi drachms of the Greek prince Apollodotus and have been found together with them. The Audumbara coins are very rare and on the basis of the metal and their shapes they may be grouped into three classes. Firstly, a series of square copper pieces, secondly, a few silver issues and thirdly, a group of round copper billon coins, without any names. The various symbols found on these coins include, a bearded human figure, an elephant, a tree in enclosure, a trident with battleaxe, a pointed roofed temple, three-arched hill and a lion. The coins bear identical legends that reveal the faith in Shaivism. The word Mahadeva is commonly used also. Later issues also depict the worship of Kartikeya. We know of a number of Audumbara kings, Sivadasa, Rudradasa, Dharaghosha and Mahadeva. These names show a very clear Shaivaite association. The trident with axe, also called the Trident-Battleaxe, appears to have been their standard.

Coins of Audumbaras

                       

Audambara, Mahadeva, 150-130 BC, silver, Drachm, weight 2.2 gm, Obverse: Elephant standing on platform facing right with trident-battle axe standard in front, Brahmi legend around, ''Bhagvata Mahadevasa Rajaraja'', Reverse: humped bull standing facing right with lotus in front, kharoshti legend around.

                         

Audumbara, Bhagvata Mahadeva, silver, Drachm, weight 2.3 gm, Obverse: Humped bull to right with a dotted circle, lotus flower under head to right, above swastika symbol and srivatsa above bull, Tritantna at the back, wavy line below Kharosthi legend '' Bhagvata  Mahadevasa and rajaraja'', Reverse: Elephant standing on platform facing right, front of trident battle-axe, swastika symbol, Brahmi legend around.

                         

Audambaras, Sivadasa, copper, weight 2.6 gm, Obverse: In a square incuse tree on left, forepart of an elephant to left, wavy line below and Kharosthi legend, Reverse: Double storied temple with pillars with trident axe on right, Brahmi legend around.                       

                     

Audumbaras, Rudradasa, 100 BC, copper, weight 2.8 gm, Obverse: A three storied temple with an axe shafted and a ribboned trident on right field, Brahmi legend ''Mahadevasa Rana Odubarisa , Reverse: a tree within railings and the forepart of an elephant to the right field, Kharoshti legend ''Mahadevasa Rana''.

                         

Audumbara, Sivadasa, 100 BC, copper, weight 2.7 gm, Obverse: three storied temple with an axe shafted and ribboned trident on the right, Brahmi legend ''Mahadevasa'' around Reverse: a tree within railing and the forepart of an elephant on the right field, wavy line below, 

Audumbaras

Coins of Audumbaras

Panchala Kingdom and Coins

 

When the Mauryan Empire collapsed, many new kingdoms emerged on its ruins. One such kingdom to emerge in Northern India was Panchala. This had been one of the 16 Mahajanapadas in the time of the Buddha. Draupadi one of the central characters of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata was a Panchala princess. This Janapada had been absorbed by Magadha as it pursued its program of expansion. But now the kingdom was reconstituted under the Mitra kings who issued wonderful series of coins. Almost all the Panchala coins carry the name of the issuing king in Brahmi letters. 

                          

Panchala dynasty, Vishnumitra, half karshapana, 20-10 BC, 

                       

Late Vedic Period, 1100-500 BC, Panchala Janapada.

                         

       Mahajanapada, 500 BC, Panchala.

These are some of the earliest indigenous Indian coins to carry legends. They typically carried an image of the deity on the obverse. Most often, the deity closely associated with the names of issuing ruler, and an incuse punch on the reverse which had the legend bearing the king's name along with the three symbols of the Panchala kingdom.  But generally accepted period of the series of coins is about 150 BC to 125 AD. This is followed by a gap during the ascendancy of the Kushan Empire which in turn was followed by a re-establishment of the Panchala dynasty during 300 to about 350 AD. 

                      

Panchala Kingdom, Vishnumitra, 20-10 BC, copper, weight 4.8 gm, half karshapana, with the name written in legend. 

The Panchala king Achyuta was defeated by Samudragupta and therefore they may have been contemporaries.

Ayodhya (Saketa) and Coins

 

Ayodhya is a city situated on the banks of Sarayu River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya was historically known as Saketa. This older name is attested in Sanskrit, Jain, Buddhist, Greek and Chinese sources. Ancient Indian Sanskrit language epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata mention Ayodhya, which was the capital of the legendary Ikshvaku kings of Kosala, including Rama. Neither these texts nor the Vedas, mention a city called Saketa. Sanskrit texts such as Panini's Ashtadhyayi (500 BC), and Patajali's commentary on it, do mention Saketa. The earliest of the Buddhist Pali-language texts and the Jain Prakrit language texts mention a city of the Kosala Mahajanpada. Topographical indications in both Buddhist Pali language texts and the Jain Prakrit language texts mention a city called Saketa is the same as the present-day Ayodhya.  

                        

Ayumitra, Ayodhya, 3rd Century AD. Brahmi legend ''Ayumitrasa''.

                       

  Ayodhya on the Map of Uttar Pradesh, India.

                     

     Late Vedic Period, Kosala, 1100-500 BC.

                      

          Mahajanapadas, Kosala, 500 BC.

Ayodhya had developed into an urban settlement by the fifth or sixth century BC. Ancient Buddhist text Samyutta Nikaya (a collection finalized in the Pre-Sectarian period, around 250 BC) state that Saketa was located in Kosala kingdom. It is not clear what happened to Saketa after Kosala was conquered by emperor Ajatashatru around fifth century BC. After decline of the Maurya empire, Saketa appears to have come under rule of Pushyamitra Shunga. The Yuga Purana states that Saketa was ruled by seven powerful kings after the retreat of the Greeks. The Vayu Purana (started around 350 BC) and the Brahmanda Purana (4th century BC) also state that seven powerful kings ruled in the capital of Kosala. The historicity of these kings is attested by the discovery of the coins of the Deva dynasty kings, including Dhanadeva, whose inscription describes him as the king of Kosala.

                     

The Dhanadeva Ayodhya inscription, first century BC. Present location Ranopali Monastery, Shri Udasin Sangat Rishi Ashram.

   

After Deva kings, Saketa appears to have been ruled by the Dutta, Kushan and Mitra kings. Saketa appears to have remained a prosperous town during the Kushan rule. Before or after Kushans, Saketa appears to have been ruled by a dynasty of kings whose name ended in ''Mitra''. and whose coins have been found at Ayodhya. The Mitra dynasty kings are attested by their coinage. Sangha Mitra, Vijaya Mitra, Satya Mitra, Deva Mitra and Arya Mitra. 

Around the 4th century AD, the region came under control of the Guptas who revived. Brahmanism. Later, the capital of the Gupta Empire was moved from Pataliputra to Ayodhya by Skandagupta.  

                        

Ayodhya, Ayumitra, 3rd century AD, copper weight 8.0 gm, Obverse: Bull left and legendary "Ayumitrasa", ribboned spear to left Reverse: peacock facing palm tree, wavy lines below.

                         

Ayodhya, Satyamitra, 1st century BC, copper, weight 7.5 gm, Obverse: Bull facing left, Brahmi legend'' Satyamitrasa'', Reverse: Rooster/ Peacock facing palm tree.

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) and Coins

 

The Pleiades are an asterism, or a pattern of stars, as well as an open star cluster, made up of more than 1,000 stars. They are located in the constellation Taurus and are about 410 light-years from Earth. Also known as the "Seven Sisters" and Messier 45 (M 45). 

                       

Julia Domna Augusta, AD 193-217, Denarius, struck under Septimus Severus AD 194-195.

They derive their name from Greek legend in which they represent the daughters of the ocean nymph Pleione. In Hindu astrology, this is known as Kritika star cluster and is the third of the 27 Naksatra (constellations).

                     

 Image of the Pleiades from the Digitized Sky Survey

As an open cluster, the stars in the Pleiades were all born around the same time from a gigantic cloud of gas and dust. The brightest stars in the formation glow a hot blue and formed within the last 100 million years. They are extremely luminous and will burn out quickly, with a life span of only a few hundred million years. Scientists estimate that the entire cluster is no more than 150 million years old, and possible as young as 75 million. 

                       

         Locating the Pleiades

 

To find the Pleiades, you can start by locating the famous constellation Orion, the hunter. Draw a line using the three stars in Orion's belt and then follow it upwards past his bow. The Pleiades is visible everywhere around the world, with the exception of the Antarctic Circle. In both hemispheres, the asterism is visible from October to April, and is visible all night in November and does not require any special equipment to view. However, while most people see six stars upon first glancing at the Pleiades, after a while one could observe up to 14. 

                       

Pleiades depicted in various civilizations.

  

Many different cultures have different beliefs associated with Pleiades. The importance of this asterism is evident in northern Europe, on the Nebra sky disc (found buried on the Mittelberg hill near Nebra in Germany. It is a bronze disc around 30 cm in diameter and weighs 2.2kg), dating around 1600 BC, and is represented besides the sun and the Moon. 

                     

The Nebra sky disc, 1600 BC. The cluster of seven dots in the upper right portion of the disc, believed to be Pleiades.

  

It is also this asterism that indicates the beginning of the ancient calendars. The M45 group played an important role in ancient times for establishment of calendars due to the combination of two elements. The first, which is still valid, is its unique and perfectly identifiable aspect on the celestial vault near the ecliptic. The second, essential for the Ancients, is that in the middle of the 3rd century millennium BC, this asterism marked the vernal point.

                       

Orion and Pleiades as seen in the sky.

 

In ancient India, in the Atharvaveda, compiled around 1200-1000 BC, the first nakshatra (Sanskrit name for lunar stations) which is called ''Kritika". In Mesopotamia, the MULAPIN compendium, the first known Mesopotamian astronomy treatise, discovered in the library of Assurbanipal, and dating to 627 BC, presents a list of gods who stand on ''the path of the moon''. In Greece, this is a group whose name is probably functional before having a mythological meaning. They represent Seven Sisters.   In ancient Arabs, they began their old parapegma type calendar, that of the anwa, with M 45 under the name of al-Turayya. 

                       

Galileo's drawings of the Pleiades star cluster from the Siderius Nuncius.

In Hinduism, the Pleiades are known as Krittika and are associated with the war god Kartikeya. Hindus celebrate the first day (new moon) of the month of Kartik as Diwali. In Tamil, they are referred to as the six wives of the seven rishis, the seventh being Arundhati, wife of Vasistha which relates to the star in Ursa Major. The six wives fell in love with Agni, hence the name Pleiades (star of fire). Pleiades are also mentioned three times in the Bible. 

                       

Seven sisters, on an inscription on seal from Harappa.

Chinese call them Quechua, Japanese call them Subaru, the Maya and the Kiowa. Hawaiians call them Makali, the Achaemenid Empire called them Parvin. Ancient Egyptians have used the names " Followers'' and '' Ennead'' in the prognosis texts. Tuareg Berbers of northern Sahara call the Pleiades Cat ihed (pronounced shat ihed) or ahad, meaning ''daughters of the night''.  The folklore of all the regions of the world including the Indigenous people have stories of the Pleiades.

Pleiades on Coins

                      

Hadrian, Denarius, Rome, 126-127 AD, weight 3.5 gm, Obverse: laureate head of Hadrian, with drapery on shoulder, Reverse: Crescent and seven stars. 

                         

Julia Domna, Augusta, AD 193-217, weight 2.8 gm, Emesa mint, struck under Septimius Severus, Obverse: Draped bust right, Reverse: Crescent and seven stars.

                          

Lucretius Trio, Rome 76 BC, Obverse: Bust right, Reverse: Crescent moon and seven stars.                    

                         

Second century AD, weight 12.9 gm, silver, Dia 24.2 Obverse: Head of Zeus, Reverse: Rider riding on the right, below Triskeles, above, seven sisters star.

                         

Julia Domna, Denarius, Emperor Septimius Severus, 27 BC-395 AD, year 193-196 AD, Silver, weight 2.8 gm, Obverse: Bust of Julia Domna, right, unabridged legend, Lulia Domna Augusta, Reverse: Crescent with seven stars above, unabridged legend, Saeculi Felicitias.          

                          

Septimius Severus, AD 193-211, Denarius, weight 2.2 gm, Obverse: Laureate head right, Reverse: Seven stars above the crescent with horns up.

                         

Australia, Elzabeth II, 1952-2022, Non-Circulating Coin, One Dollar, silver, weight 15.0 gm, Commemorative issue, Obverse: Crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem and the Coronation Necklace, Reverse: The Seven Sisters running and jumping from right to left in the bottom half of the coin, Aboriginal dot painting of the Pleiades star cluster in the top colourised half of the coin. 0.999 Ag. Canberra mint 1965- date.

Pleiades

Pleiades on Coins