2021-02-06 Sat

The word ‘Janapada’, is derived from the Sanskrit words ‘Janas’ and ‘Pada’. One understanding is that The word ‘Janas’ means ‘People’ and the word ‘Pada’ means ‘Foot’; and; hence, the word Janapada could mean, ‘foothold of the tribes’.

Kuntala Janapada was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of ancient India. Today, Kuntala Janapada includes a region; of the Southern part of Maharashtra and the northern part of Karnataka. The mention of Kunatala Janapada; is also found in ‘Markandeya Purana’. According to the ‘Markandeya Purana’ Kuntala Janapada is listed under the country of Madhya Desha. During ancient times, the Kuntala region was also ruled by the Nanda Dynasty.

Taurine is an ancient Indian symbol found in ancient Indian coins. It is also known as Nandipada (foot of Nandi). It represents a bull's hoof or the mark left by the foot of a bull in the ground.

Image Courtesy: Classical Numismatic Gallery