2018-05-17 Thu

The Satavahanas ruled larger parts of India during the 1st Century BCE till 2nd Century CE. According to one of the theories, the word Satavahana is a derived from Sanskrit word ‘Sapta-Vahana’ meaning ‘driven by seven’. According to the Hindu mythology, ‘the chariot of the sun god is drawn by seven horses’. This would ratify the claim that the Satavahanas are originally associated with the legendary solar dynasty.

The Satavahana had ruled the part of today’s Telangana, Andhra-Pradesh and Maharashtra. They have also ruled the part of modern Gujarat, Madhya-Pradesh and Karnataka. They were the early issuers of Indian Coinage to strike their coinage with the images of rulers.

This copper coin was issued by Satavahana emperor Satakarni weighs around 6.1g. The obverse of this coin depicts ‘Standing Lion facing towards left with three arched below. The reverse of the coin depicts ‘Ujjain Symbol with Nandipada’.

Image Courtesy: Oswal Auction