TRIBAL COINS OF ANCIENT INDIA

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Tribal coins throw a flood of light on the history, culture, religion, economy, polity, trade, commerce, technology, symbology, metrology, movements, etc. of the various tribes in ancient India. They thus enlighten us about various aspects of the life and culture of the people in ancient India. Numismatic discoveries made from time to time, interpretations and newer techniques of analysis have rendered earlier views in many cases as obsolete and worth revision. Some new types of Agreya coins published recently throw fresh light on the religious proclivities of the Agras. Coins discovered from Nohar show the presence of the Arjunayana tribe in northeastern Rajasthan. A critical analysis of the typology and provenance of Audumbara coins reveals that the monarchical issues of the Mitra rulers do not actually belong to the tribe, and that there was no ruler of the name of Mahadeva belonging to the Audumbara stock, thus rendering the old classification of their coins as outdated. The discovery of the hoards at Chakkar near Mandi and at Hat Koti and Jalog in Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh, stray finds of new types of Kuninda coins, their coin molds from regular excavations at Sanghol in Punjab and their coins from the site of the Syena-chiti (Eagle-shaped fire-altar) at Purola in Uttaranchal have thrown fresh light on their history, culture, religion, kingship, capital, mint-site and techniques of minting, trade and commerce, etc. The diminutive nature of Malava coins as evidence of poor economy stands challenged in the light of epigraphic evidence. The existence of the Kshudrakas and Savitriputras has been proved on the basis of their coins. The Vemakis were known only from Rudravarman?s silver and a dubious copper coin but the author has brought two of their new rulers ? Bhavavarman and Sivaghosha ? to light. The settlement of the Vrishnis at Sunet near Ludhiana is proved by a number of their seals, sealings and copper coins. Many fallacies about the Yaudheyas have also been corrected by a fresh study and analysis of their coins. This book, based on a study of various published and unpublished hoards and stray finds of coins in institutional and private collections is the first Indian publication on the tribal coins containing the largest number of illustrations bringing to light many new coins and offering new interpretations.\n\n

Devendra Handa is an eminent art historian and numismatist. He is the recipient of Sir Mortimer Wheeler Prize; Maulana Azad, Archaeological Centenary Commemoration, Pt. Bhagwanlal Indraji and Nelson Wright medals; N.M. Lowick grant (twice in 1992 and 2005) of the Royal Numismatic Society, London; Fellowship of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla (2000-2003), Senior Fellowship (Numismatics) of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India (2003-05) and Senior Academic Fellowship of the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi (2009-11). He presided over the 88th Annual Conference of the Numismatic Society of India at Nagpur in 2004; Seminar on Coinage of the North-West India at Chandigarh in 2005; Annual Session of the Centre for History, Archaeology, Epigraphy and Numismatics of the University of Mumbai in 2018 and Annual Session of the Indian Art History Congress at Patiala in 2019. The Numismatic Society of India, the Indian Coin Society and the Gwalior Chapter of INTACH; Numismatic Research Institute, Nagpur and the International Collectors? Society of Rare Items, Pune have bestowed upon him Lifetime Achievement Awards. Haryana Institute of Fine Arts honoured him with Karmayogi Samman in 2011-12 and the Buddhist Society of Haryana felicitated him for his contribution to Buddhist studies in the state in that year. He has attended numerous national and international conferences and delivered lectures in various universities, museums and research institutes. He has contributed articles, research papers, notes, etc. to various national and international journals; to the multi-volume Encyclopedia of Hinduism of the Indian Heritage Research Foundation, Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh; various felicitation and commemoration volumes and some chapters to the eleven-volume series ?A History of Ancient India? being published by the Vivekananda International Foundation and Aryan Books International. Presently he is

Devendra Handa

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