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Primary sourceArtifactc. 4th–2nd century BCE

Mauryan Punch-Marked Silver Karshapana Coin

c. 4th–2nd century BCE

A silver punch-marked coin from the Mauryan empire, the kind of currency that circulated across the realm Chandragupta founded.

A coin type from the monetised economy of the empire Chandragupta Maurya founded.

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Two views of a small irregular silver punch-marked coin. The obverse shows a sun with rays at upper left, a lion-like or animal figure, a crescent-shaped mark, and other punched symbols in a worn, irregular outline. The reverse is plain silver with a single punched symbol of a stylized emblem at center.
Mauryan punch-marked silver karshapana coin, c. 4th–2nd century BCE. British Museum / National Museum, New Delhi.

About this source

What it is

This is a small silver coin called a karshapana, punch-marked with symbols such as a sun and animal figures, made in the Mauryan empire around the 4th to 2nd century BCE. Examples like this one are held in museums such as the British Museum and the National Museum in New Delhi. One closely related coin is dated to the reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta's son, and was minted at Pataliputra, the Mauryan capital.

Why it matters

Coins like this show that the empire Chandragupta founded had a working monetised economy, with standard currency produced at royal workshops and used across a huge territory. Scholars have studied the punched symbols to try to connect certain marks to specific Mauryan rulers.

Look closer

  • What do the punched symbols on the coin suggest about the authority that issued it?
  • Why might historians disagree about which symbols belong to which Mauryan ruler?
  • What does the existence of standard coinage tell you about how organised the Mauryan state was?

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