2022-06-29 Wed

Audumbara is one of the most prominent ancient Himachal Pradesh tribes. They lived in the lower hill region of Himachal Pradesh somewhere between Chamba and Sirmaur and their capital is said to be known by the name of Kotesvara. They find the mention in Mahabharata and other historical texts as well as was mentioned as Odemboerce by Pliny in his book Historia Naturalis.

Their coins are among the earliest coins found in the region. They seem to have control of Kangra at that time as their coins mention the name of earlier Kangra rulers: Mahadcva, Dharaghosha, and Rudravannan. Their economic prosperity, as well as their building skills, can be validated by their coins bearing the inscription of gods and temples.

Shown above is a Silver Drachma coin issued by king Mahadeva. The coin depicts an elephant standing on a platform on the obverse facing right with trident-battle ax standard in front along with Brahmi legend around, "Bhagavata Mahadevasa Rajaraja". The reverse depicts a humped bull standing facing right with lotus in front along with the Kharoshthi legend around that reads 'Bhagavata Mahadevasa Rajaraja'.

Image Courtesy: numisbids.com