Four Ancient Indian Coins of South Indian Dynasties and Ancient Invaders

If you are a big fan of ancient Indian coins, then there are certain amazing varieties issued by South Indian dynasties and foreign invaders that you must definitely look for. Let’s explore four such Indian old coins.

Copper Coin of Pandya Dynasty
 
These old Indian coins were struck somewhere between 50 AD and 100 AD during the Sangam Age of Pandya Dynasty.  The square-shaped coins were die-struck in around 4.98 grams of copper. The obverse of this beautiful old coin of India featured a standing elephant facing right in front of a trident. Other three symbols featured above the elephant include jars, a vessel and a chakra. The reverse features an intricately designed fish symbol. 

Copper Coin of Chera Dynasty

These ancient Indian coins were issued in the southern parts of the subcontinent under the Chera Dynasty during the reign of Kongu Chera. These round shaped copper coins were die-struck in approximately 3.5 grams of copper and bore the denomination Kasu. The obverse of these historical coins of India featured a seated Goddess holding lotus flower in both her hands while a bow and arrow can be seen beside the Goddess. The reverse depicts a symbolic form of Narasimha.

Very Rare Silver Drachm of Indo-Greek Ruler Apollodotos

These are very rare historical coins that were issued somewhere between 180 BC and 160 BC by the foreign invaders Indo-Greeks during the regime of their ruler Apollodotos. This square shaped silver Drachm has a weight of 2. 42 grams and belongs to the Elephant type coins issued by this dynasty. These ancient coins of India were Die Struck at Panjhir mint and featured interesting designs on both, obverse and the reverse. The obverse side of the coin depicts a standing elephant facing right, a Greek legend that translates to “Basileos Apollodotoy Soteros" and a monogram below the elephant. The reverse side of this coin features a standing humped bull at the centre facing right, the Kharoshti legend which reads "Maharajasa Apaladatasa Tratarasa", and a monogram below the bull. If you find one of these ancient Indian coins, you are truly lucky!

Sassanian Imitation Silver Dramma

These coins of ancient India were issued between 700 AD and 1100 AD during the reign of Sassanian Imitation dynasty ruler Firuz Imitation Gaddhaiya Series 2. This round-shaped Silver Dramma was die-struck with fascinating designs. The obverse of these Indian ancient coins featured a bust of the King facing right. The unique aspect about the bust is that the head is very narrow and eyebrows become part of the forehead. The reverse depicts a fire altar in the centre, attendants with raised hands, sun in the left field and crescent in the right field, bodies made of dots where the dots symbolise the flame in the fire altar. Hands of the attendants are represented as a semi circle, becoming a part of the altar.

Hope you had fun reading about these four types of ancient Indian coins. Just in case you find one of these or any other Old Coins of India, don’t forget to send us pictures!

My world of Old Indian Coins

There are times in life when you feel that everything has come to a standstill. You need something to cling on to, something to immerse yourself into. Hobbies are excellent mediums through which you can forget everything about your worries almost instantly. As a kid, I was very shy boy and did not have any kind of liking for any particular thing as such. Like every other kid in my class, I had no idea what destiny had in store for me; in fact we never thought about destiny and simply went with the flow. We did almost everything that was told to us. I was introduced to the world of old Indian coins at the age of seven by my grandfather.

My grandfather also was a passionate collector of Old Indian Coins when he was young. He had some connections with friends who were also into this unique hobby. Over a period of time, he kept growing his collection. He once told me that he probably loved his collection of Indian coin more than his own wife. Even though he laughed out loud after that statement, his eyes told me that there was some amount of truth behind those words. We used to visit our native place every year during summer vacations. It was like every other vacation; the only difference this time being that Grandpa showed me his amazing collection of old coins India. I was lost, lost into a whole new world. There was no looking back. I spent that entire vacation talking to my grandfather understanding different aspects of all the old coins India that he had collected. Each one of them had an interesting story behind it. I never got tired of listening to them. I took a few ancient Indian coins from his collection back home. 

I shut myself inside my room and spent hours gazing at those beauties. There was something about these ancient Indian coins that make me smile even today. Probably, they remind me of my grandfather, probably they are special as they showed me a new ray of light every time I am feeling low.