The Kunindas and their Coins (Heritage of India Series-I)
Known from literary sources like the epics, Puranas, classical and specialized texts under various names, the republican Kunindas continued to strike their coins in silver, copper or some alloys in the name of Amoghabhuti. The silver specie based on the module of the Indo-Greek hemi-drachms but purely Indian in form and devices are a visual feast to the eyes. Having purely indigenous types their preference for an alien weight-standard is an interesting feature. The coins were first discovered by canal diggers near Behat, a location in the Saharanpur district (in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India) in 1834. These objects are now known from numerous hoards and stray finds, currently in the prized possession of collectors, museums, and institutions. Hoards refer to large collections of objects that are often buried together, while stray finds refer to items discovered randomly, not in structured archaeological
excavations. The coins were also found throughout the mid-Himalayan regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, in the plains of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and even Taxila (which is in present-day Pakistan). This wide distribution points to the far-reaching influence and trade networks of the Kuninda people. In the present work, an effort has been made to explain the significance of various devices and symbols occurring on these coins. There have been controversies regarding the religious
proclivity of the Kunindas, but I have tried to establish their faith in Vaishnavism and Vedic rituals. Scholars from Cunningham have attributed the Kunindas copper coins bearing the figure of Chitresvara (Siva) seated on Apasmara-purusha. Dr. Handa has been studying Kuninda coins for over forty years, and have restudied thousands of coins of the Chakkar, so-called Daruwala and Pandoa hoards besides various other private and institutional holdings. This work is the first of its kind to systematically analyse and classify the Kuninda coins in a detailed catalogue. Those interested in the economy, production of total volume by the Kuninda coins and die studies may find it quite useful.
Pages: 302 Illustration: 346