Component-I (A) – Personal details:

Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy

Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

Prof. V. Sakunthalamma
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. &
Prof. Susmita Basu Majumdar
Dept. of AIHC, University of Calcutta.

Dr. Mahesh A. Kalra

Centre for Numismatic Information & Studies
Mumbai.

Prof. V. Sakunthalamma
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

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Component-I (B) – Description of module:

Subject Name Indian Culture

Paper Name Indian Numismatics

Module Name/Title Ancient and Early Medieval Coinage of Andhra

Desha

Module Id IC / NMST / 20

Pre-requisites

Objectives To study the Ancient and Medieval coinages of

the Andhra Region of Peninsular India

Keywords Andhra / Satavahana / Kakatiya / Ikshvaku / coins

/ Numismatics

E-text (Quadrant-I) :

1. Introduction

The region of Andhra Desha was well documented in the ancient world in both Indian and
foreign sources in the pre-Mauryan and Mauryan period. The first mention is in Aitreya
Brahmana which mentions the Andhras asthe one of the peoples descended from the sons
of Vishwamitra exiled outside the Aryavarta along with other tribes like Pundhras, Shabaras,
Pulindas and Mulibas. They are mentioned in various epics like Mahabharata which lists
them with the Vidarbhas and the Dandakas. Other Puranic texts refer to the large numbers
of Andhras and inhabiting the region of Dakshinapatha which was then further divided into
Vidarbha, Dandaka, Ashmaka and Mulaka.

In the early Buddhist period, the AnguttaraNikaya lists Ashmaka or Assaka as a

Mahajanapada with its capital at Potali or Podana whereas Mulaka another Mahajanapada
with its capital at Paithan. Ashmaka is said to represent the modern state of Maharashtra
and thus its coinage in the early historic period is discussed in the appropriate section on
Maharashtra.

Thus, in the sixth century B.C.E. the Mulaka or Andhra Janapadawas said to exist.
According to Pliny, who drew from Megasthenes’ Indica, the Andhras were a powerful race
with 30 walled towns (one of which might be Kottalingala fort excavated by the Andhra
Pradesh State Museums and Archaeology Department from 1979 till 1983). The Andhras
were probably a power before the rise of the Mauryans. Ashokan Edicts refer to the Andhras
as a subject people along with theKambojas, the Yavanas, the Nabhakas (similar to the
Shabaras of the AitreyaBrahamana), the Bhojas, the Pitinikas and the Palidas (similar to the
Pulindas of AitreyaBrahamana) (Rock Edict No. 13)

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2. Earliest Andhra Coinage in the Pre-Mauryan and Mauryan Period

The finds of the earliest silver punch-marked coins from Andhra region were first found as a
part of the Singavaram hoard found in Singavaram, Krishna district in 1934 which had about
73,650 coins. The silver coins had a mean weight of about 1.556 g with minimum weight at
about 1.145 g and maximum weight of about 1.784 g. These coins were mostly issued as a
local coinage as a half-karshapana weighing about 16 rattis. They come with 4 punches viz.
a prominent elephant emblem, with repetition of some emblems twice or three different
emblems. These coins were thus issued by the ancient rulers of Andhra Pradesh with the
dominant emblem of elephant along with other natural emblems on them. In view of the
similarity of these punch-marked coins to coins of adjacent janapadas like Ashmaka or
Vidarbha found in parts of Maharashtra with minor variations, it is highly likely that there was
a larger state of the Andhras much like the Satavahanas who ruled the region after the fall of
the Mauryans.

The next period of Andhra History would have been the rise of Mauryan power whose
indirect influence led to the influx of silver punch-marked coins of the Imperial Magadha type
coming into the Andhra region. Various hoards of Imperial Punch-marked coins have been
reported from Amaravati, Peddabankur and Nastullahpur in Karimnagar district. Additionally,
imperial punch-marked coins including lower denominations were reported from Kotilingala
as surface finds as well as in stratigraphic context.

The find is not surprising as the people of the region would have been used to silver punch-
marked coinage in the form of Andhra Janapada coinage and would have found it easier to
adapt to the Imperial Punch-marked Coinage very easily.

3. Pre-Satavahana Coinage

The Pre-Satavahana period throws up an array of copper, bronze and lead coinage which
were initially uninscribed with images on one side or both sides of the coin using a
permutation and combination of symbols like tree-in-railing, multi-arched hills, swastika,
wheel-with-spokes either individually or in combination. Kotilingala Excavations threw up
some uninscribed variety of coins with animals like horse, lion, bull, camel along with these
symbols. Some of these coins also have reverse Ujjaini emblem as a precursor to the
Satavahana period which soon followed in the region.

The Pre-Satavahana period had a lot of smaller chieftains with the titles, Maharathi,
Mahabhojas, Mahasenapati and Mahatalavara issued in both pre-Satavahana and
Satavahana period. The Ashokan Edicts name some local rulers called Rathikas, Bhojas in
the Deccan and these may have been absorbed as local feudal chieftains during the
Satavahana period to accommodate and acknowledge their authority over the region, A
peculiar type of inscribed coin found in the Andhra region before the Satavahana period are
coins with the title, Mahatalavara with the image of a horse surmounted by a Srivatsa
symbol. The Mahatalavara coins found in Phanigiri Excavations name various rulers like
Sivasebaka, Majasamika, Balakuta, etc. The name Sivasebaka is important as another Pre-
Satavahana ruler called Raja Sebaka’s stray coins are found all over the Deccan with the
obverse image of a bull in front of a six-arched hill and reverse Tri-ratna symbol. Other Pre-
Satavahana rulers whose names appear on coins are Gobhada, Narana, Kamvyasiri,

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Samagopa from Kotalingala, Raja Kuberaka of Bhattiprolu, Raja Somaka of Vaddemanu,
Raja KumariyaSammaliya of Dhanyakatanka to name a few.

Another set of titled rulers whose coins have been found in Veerapuram, Kurnool District
were the Maharathi rulers. In Veerapuram, a number of Maharathis’ coins with names like
Maha Hathi, MaharathiPutasa Hathi, Khada Hari Hathi, Pahalamasisa and Siva Maha Hathi
were found. Maharathi coins with different family names are also reported from Chandravalli,
Brahmapuri, Hyderabad and Vidarbha regions. Again, these rulers appear to have preceded
Satavahanas in the region of the issue. The Maharathi issues from Veerapuram are
important as they use the obverse device of an elephant with Srivatsa symbol with a circular
legend presaging the Satavahana and the following Isvaku coins from the region. The
reverse of the coins features a six-arched hill with dots inside with mounted by a crescent
and a flower with a wavy river below which shows the ecology of the Andhra region in that
period.Thus, Pre-Satavahana Andhra Pradesh was ruled by a series of regional chieftains
who took great pride in their regional freedom and expressed the same by issuing their local
coinages to express their sovereign status in the region.

Another set of Pre-Satavahana dynasty which ruled coastal Andhra during the pre-
Satavahana period was the Sada or Megha Vahana dynasty. Dr. D. Raja Reddy and P.
Suryanarayana Rao in their monograph on these coins, titled ‘Coins of the Megha Vahana
dynasty of Coastal Andhra’ (D. Raja Reddy & P. S. Rao: 1993) identified the name of Megha
Vahana as the dynastic family name of this family in view of an inscription of one ruler,
‘Maharaja Siri Sada’ with the title, Meghavahana. The name Sada has been recommended
by Kasturi Bai in view of the recurring name ‘Sada’ in this series of lead coins found from
Coastal Andhra region including the Vaddamanu excavations. The coins in lead of varying
weights from 1.76 to 36 g have an obverse image of a Lion with a circular inscription naming
various rulers like MahaSada, Sada Siri, Siva Sada, SivamakaSada, AsakaSada, etc.
ShailenBhandare has shown in his thesis the link of Sada coins to the Satavahana coins
issued from Coastal Andhra (especially Lion type coins of Siri Pulumavi in the British
Museum) thereby approximating the gap in knowledge between early numismatists like Elliot
and Rapson’s allocation of the series to the ‘Andhra dynasty’ (Satavahanas) (W. Elliot: 1886;
Rapson: 1908) and the current idea of the Sadas as a pre-Satavahana dynasty.

The Pre-Satavahana coinage was soon eclipsed with the advent of the Satavahanas who
are considered as the Andhras of the Puranic literature. According to both the long and short
chronology of this dynasty, the rule of Satavahanas can be situated in the Post-Mauryan
period with a variety of coins including later portrait coins of four rulers which mimic the
Roman idea of life-like portraits of rulers.

Importantly, in the Andhra region, the Satavahanas issued coins with the elephant and the
Ujjaini symbol in the main region and Lion type in the coastal Andhra region imitating the
earlier prototypes of the region which would have led to their larger acceptance by both the
moneychangers in the region and the common people.

4. Post-Satavahana Coinage

The Post-Satavahana period is believed to have begun in the third century of the Common
Era with the various regions of their vast empire soon falling into the hands of their
feudatories in the Deccan. The Post-Satavahana period coinage issued in the immediate

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period after the Satavahanas was in effect a carryover of the Satavahana paradigm in the
Andhra region especially under the first Post-Satavahana dynasty of Ikshvakus (225 – 310
C.E.). However, there were gradual changes in the region’s coinage under the following
dynasties of Salankayanas (395 – 420 C.E.), Vishnukundins (475 – 615 C.E.), Eastern
Chalukyas (625 – 1050 C.E.) and the Kakatiyas (1150 – 1300 C.E.). All these dynasties tried
to match the paradigm of prevailing coinages in the adjacent regions of South India. Thus,
the last two dynasties ventured to issue gold gadyanas similar to those of their
contemporaries in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

5. Ikshvaku Dynasty and their coinage (225-310 C.E.)

The first dynasty to rule Andhra region especially the region south-east of Godavari river
were the Iksvaku dynasty who had their capital at Nagarjunikonda a.k.a. Vijayapuri. The
Iksvakus are believed to have left numerous inscriptions at various places apart from
Nagarjunikonda viz. Jaggayyapeta, Amaravati (A.P.) and Bhattiprolu. The Puranas mention
them as the Sriparvatiyas (Foresters), Rulers of Sriparvata (Forests)
and Andhrabhrityas (Servants of the Andhras).Andhra Ikshvakus were originally feudatories
of the Satavahanas and bore the title Mahatalavara. Although the Puranasstate that seven
kings ruled for 100 years in total, the names of only four of them are known from inscriptions
viz. Sri Chamtamula, Mathariputra Sri Virapurusadatta, Vashistiputra Sri
EhabalaChamtamula and Rudrapurushadatta.

Vasishthiputra Sri Chamtamula (Santamula I or Chamatula), the founder of the line who is
believed to have performed the important sacrifices of Ashwamedha, Agnihotra, Agnistoma
and Vajpeya to declare his independence of any other power. Virapurushadatta was the son
and successor of Santamula through his wife Madhari. Virapurisadata's
son, EhuvulaSantamula (Santamula II) ruled after a short Abhira interregnum as around 278
CE, the Abhiras tried to put an end to the Ikshvaku rule.Rudrapurushadatta was probably the
lastIkshvaku ruler whose name is mentioned in inscriptions from Gurajala in Guntur districts
of Andhra Pradesh. He could have been a son of EhuvulaSantamula. Rudrapurushadatta
ruled for more than 11 years. After him there were three more unknown rulers according to
the Puranas.

Iksvaku coins were first found during excavation at Nagarjunakonda in an excavation done in
the early 1950s. Another hoard of 277 coins was reported by R. Subrahmanyam in the
Ongole taluka of Guntur district. Both hoards have helped us immensely in understanding
the nature of the Ikshvaku coinage. Their finding in Nagarjunakonda has helped nail their
connection with the Ikshvaku dynasty and the Ongole hoard has through up some partially
inscribed coins which have confirmed their association with the dynasty. The Ikshvaku
dynasty coins are made of lead and have an elephant to the left (resembling the Satavahana
coins but with the trunk down instead of raised as on Satavahana coins) on the obverse and
an Ujjaini symbol on the reverse. According to Subrahmanyam, the legends on the coins are
as follows:

(i) Siri Cha, (Siri) Chata, Siri Chata, (ii) Siri Vira or Siri Vi (iii) Siri Eha or Siri Ehu and (iv) Siri
Ru, Siri Ruda or Siri Rudapu

These names are self-suggestive of association with the four Ikshvaku rulers mentioned on
the epigraphs. Thus, the legends may help tentative assigning of the coins to the various

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rulers like coins with the legend.Thus, coins with Sri Chatahave been attributed to Sri
Chamtamula (c. AD 225 – 250), Sri Vira to Sri Virapurusadatta (c. AD 250 – 270), Sri Ehuto
Sri EhavalaChamtamula (c. AD 270 – 295) and Sri RudaputoSri Rudrapurusadatta (c. AD
295 – 310). The periods assigned to the four rulers are tentative taking the beginning of the
dynasty to the immediate Post-Satavahana period from from 225 C.E. till 310 C.E. when a
new dynasty arose to replace the Ikshvakus. Subrahmanyam thus datesChamtula I’s rule
from 225 till 250 C.E.; Virapurushadatta having ruled from 250 till 270 C.E. leaving Ehavula
the period between 270 and 295 C.E. and Rudrapurushadatta ruling from 295 till 310 C.E.

Another small coinage which has come up recently from Andhra region is the coinage of a
dynasty called the Hiranakas who were believed to be feudatories of the Ikshvakus ruling the
Pennar river region. The Ikshvakus issued lead coins with obverse images of a Horse facing
right with the Srivatsa symbol above and a dot in front of the horse on the obverse with
legends naming local rulers with the family name Hiranjaka or Hiranaka. The reverse has a
six-arched hill with a tree-in-railing emblem with a river flowing below. The Hiranakas are
believed to have been feudatories of Ikshvakus and would have declined in power later in
the fifth century C.E.

6. Shalankayana(Vaingeyaka) Dynasty and its Coinage

The Shalankayana dynasty ruled Andhra region a little after the departure of the Ikshvakus
ruling from their capital city of Vengipura, modern Peddavegi near Ellore in Godavari district.
The dynasty had many rulers who ruled between the Ikshavakus and the Vishnukundins
between the fourth and the fifth century. The copper plate grants of the dynasty name
various rulers like Hastivarman, Nandi Varman I, Chandavarman, Nandivarman II and
Skandavarman.

Among the coins found in the region, some copper coins with the legend, Shri Chandava or
Shri Chanda along with a seated bull which may be reconstructed as ‘Sri Chandravarman’.
The coins typically show the dynastic crest of the Shalankayanas, the ‘couchant bull’ also
found on their copper plates as a crest. In fact,Shalankayana means Nandi, the Bull of Siva
and this fact is reflected in their coins. The findspots of the coins is around their ruling areas
of Peddavegi. According to D. C. Sircar, Chandavarman could have ruled the region
between 395 and 420 C.E.

Later Shalankayana coins show features similar to Visnukundin coins in the form of a rayed
circle on the reverse along with the couchant bull on the obverse thereby providing a
numismatic bridge linking the two dynasties.

7. Vishnukundin dynasty and their coinage

The Vishnukundin dynasty issued coins in fairly large numbers with the obverse image of ‘a
highly stylized lion with open mouth, upraised paw and uplifted tail’ and the reverse with the
image of ‘a vase flanked by two vertical lampstands – all within a rayed circle’ similar to the
late Shalankayana coins. The coins of this variety were first attributed to the Pallavas by
Walter Elliot. However, later the coins’ attribution underwent a change after taking into
consideration the concentration of their find spots in the Andhra region and not further south.
The majority of the finds are from Nalgonda district along with Karimnagar, Vishakapatnam
and Guntur. The finding of a hoard of Eastern Chalukya coin hoard from Nalgonda district

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clinches the attribution to Vishnukundins. An additional argument in favour of the attribution
to Vishnukundins is the use of lion as a dynastic crest on their seals in their charters.

The Vishnukundins were succeeded by Durjayas who in turn were succeeded soon by the
Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi. The Durjaya dynasty did not issue any coins in the short period
that they had over Andhra country.

8. Coins of the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi

The Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi rose as a cadet branch of the main branch in Badami in
and around 624 C.E. when Pulakeshin II captured Vengi and bestowed it upon his brother,
KubjaVishnuvardhana I. Vishnuvardhana I ruled Vengi from 624 C.E. till 641 C.E. and
acquired the title, Vishmasiddhi(one who attained successes in difficult enterprises). The
Eastern Chalukyas continued to be a coveted kingdom between the rulers of Tamil Nadu
and Karnataka thus causing and benefitting from the wars between Chalukyas of Badami
and the Pallavas of Kanchi in the seventh and eighth centuries; later they also became a
bone of contention between the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani and the Imperial Cholas from
the tenth to twelfth century. Rajendra Chola wisely married one of his daughters to Rajaraja
Narendra Chalukya. The son born to the couple became Rajendra Kulottunga who took up
the ruling of Chola Empire upon the deaths of his maternal uncles and ruled it from 1070
C.E. till 1118 C.E.

A large number of copper and base silver coins found in Nalgonda and Vishakhapatnam
districts have been found with two types of coins having the legend Vishmasiddhi on them;
one type has a lion at the centre with the legend above and another also has lion but the
reverse has a double trident with border of rays surmounted by a crescent and flanked by
two lamps. M. Rama Rao proposes that the legends on both coins have a different character
for the same title, one being square and the other being round; he suggests attribution of
one type to Vishnuvardhana I and another to his grandson, Vishnuvardhana II who also took
the same title.

The Eastern Chalukyas did not continue to issue many coins till the period of Saktivarman I
who around 999 C.E. issued gold punch-marked coins with 7 punches forming the legend
‘Sri Chalukyachandra’ with a boar to the right flanked by lamps with a goad and an umbrella
at the centre. These coins have Saktivarman’s regnal year indicated in numerals with the
letter Sa (Samvat) with years 1, 4 and 9 available in the series. These were first reported
from the island of Cheduba, Arakan and Gudur, Masulipatnam district along with another set
of coins of Eastern Chalukya ruler, Rajaraja (1019-1060 C.E.) with similar emblem.
Rajaraja’s regnal years range from 3 to 37.

Another hoard found at Dowlaishwaram, Eastern Godavari had coins of RajarajaChalukya

with those of his son Rajendra Kulottunga with a tiger replacing the boar as the central
device with legends like ‘Kataikondacholan’ with the regnal years ranging from 28 till 33.
Another set of coins found in this series has the legend ‘Malainadukondacholan’ with the
regnal years from 33 till 36. The script on the coins of Kulottunga is Tamil Grantha of the
twelfth century C.E. according to T. Balakrishnan Nayar who examined and published the
Dowlaishwaram hoard.

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9. Coins of the Kakatiyas and their contemporaries

The Kakatiyas rose as feudatories of Chalukyas of Kalyani in the tenth century itself under
Beta I, Prola I and their successors but rose to independent status in the period of
KakatiRudradeva (1150-1195 C.E.) centred upon the region of Anamkonda and Warangal.
They rose to great heights under Ganapati (1199-1261 C.E.) and his daughter, Rudramadevi
(1259-1295 C.E.). Rudramadevi was succeeded by the last Kakatiya ruler, Prataprudra
(1295-1323 C.E.) whose reign was interrupted by the invasion of the Tughluqs.

Kakatiya coinshave undergone a lot of false starts over the years beginning with the
discovery of 10 gold coins with the name ‘Rudra’ found in faraway Konkan in nineteenth
century being attributed to Rudradeva. Some other misses were by Elliot himself. However,
he reports a copper coin with a bull and fragmentary legend ‘SrimatKakati… Pratap –
ra…..ya’. However, copper coins found at Malkhed with divided legend ‘Kakatiya’ and
‘Pratap Rudra’ with dates in Saka era 1108 and 1109 confirm their attribution to Pratap
Rudra deva I (c. 1150-1195 C.E.). Another solitary gold coin found from Kavaliyadavalli
treasure trove has a reverse legend read as (KA)KATI GANA(PATI) with the crude image of
a lion with open mouth, raised paw and twisted tail. There is another set of punch-marked
gold coins with the Telugu legend ‘Dayagajakesari’ and ‘Rayagajakesari’. These coins may
be Early Kakatiya coins fashioned on the Eastern Chalukya paradigm. An epigraph found in
Guntur district dated 1238 C.E. refers to a KesariGadya which might refer to a coin with lion
device on it or else to the actual term Kesari written on it.

10. Summary

The coinage of Ancient Andhradesha began as a local series of punch-marked coins with
the emblem of elephant in the pre-Mauryan period. These coins prepared the ground for the
circulation of Mauryan currency which came to circulate in the region in the Mauryan period.
However, it probably co-existed or gave way to a local lead coinage issued in uninscribed
and inscribed series by a variety of local rulers who were probably officers of the Mauryan
Empire who ruled the region in the immediate post-Mauryan period. These coinages
prepared the basis for local Satavahana coin types which were adopted from the first century
B.C.E. till the end of the Satavahana period. The sway of these coins held till the Ikshvaku
period till the fourth century when the local types were slowly reformed under
Shalankayanas, the Vishnukundins (along with Pallavas), the Eastern Chalukyas and finally
the Kakatiyas.