2016-09-29 Thu

The kingdom of Kuninda found its adobe on the foothills of Himalayas. The history of the kingdom is documented from around the 2nd century BCE and it was mentioned by the ancient authors, notably in Indian epics and puranas.

The most famous king of the Kunindas was Amoghbhuti. During the reign Amoghbhuti, late 2nd century-early 1st century BC, the first native coins of the Kunindas were produced.

The coins, silver drachms, were influenced by the numismatic model of the neighbouring Indo-Greek kingdoms. However, the design was purely native, incorporating Buddhist symbolism such as the triratna, deer, Lakshmi, swastika etc.

These coins typically follow the Indian weight and size standards (drachms, of about 2.1 to 2.2 grams in weight and 19 mm in diameter). They are often found together with Indo-Greek coins in hoards, such as those of the Yaudheyas, or the Audumbaras. They represent the first effort by an Indian to produce coins that could compare with those of the Indo-Greeks.