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The multi-symbol obverse designs of Ujjain's local copper coins
document close affinities to those of the Mauryan silver karshapanas.
As Allan rightly observed (BMC:cxiii): "They are struck on the same
principle as the punch-marked coins; that is to say, on the obverse we
have several symbols - often, as on the silver punch-marked coins, five,
some of which change more frequently than others." This multi-symbol
fashion with the single design elements having nearly the same size may
help to date such coin types earlier than coin types with one
large dominant design element which is accompanied by one or more small symbols.
Human
and animal depictions on local Ujjain coins have been discussed and
illustrated on the previous Ujjain pages. Inanimate, symbolic
depictions most frequently occurring on Ujjain
copper coins are the railed tree, chakra, six-armed symbol, svastika,
taurine, Indradhvaja, srivatsa, river and fish-tank. A few other
symbols like sun, wheel, tree-on-hill and railed lingam have to be added
to this list but they are rarely seen. One is astonished to observe that
the three-arched hill symbol, which occupied a prominent place among the
symbols on Mauryan karshapanas, is used on only a few Ujjain types.
The dominant symbol
here is of course the cross symbol
with an orb attached at each end, the so-called Ujjain symbol. In a
large form and as a single symbol it is used as the reverse mark
of the local Ujjain coppers but as one among other symbols it also
appears on many obverse types of this and many other ancient Indian coin series.
The influence and the acceptance of Ujjain's coins has been so decisive
that other authorities sometimes even marked their coins with the same reverse emblem
as Ujjain itself - examples are some Erich types or certain types from
Vidarbha. In that case a clear distinction is only possible by knowledge
of findspots or a specific typology of the respective obverse design.
Much has been speculated about origin and meaning of the Ujjain symbol.
The most probable interpretation sees the symbol as symbolizing
an important cultural, political and
economical center where crossroads from all cardinal points met
and emenated.
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UJJAIN, symbol series
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/2 karshapana, multi-symbol type
Weight: 4.22 gm., Diameter: 18 mm.
Centrally placed Ujjain symbol; svastika and Indradhvaja on right and
railed tree on left; fish-tank above the Ujjain symbol and parts of
chakra on top right; river at the bottom.
Double-orbed Ujjain symbol
Reference: Pieper 379 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/2 karshapana, multi-symbol type
Weight: 4.97 gm., Diameter: 16 mm.
As previous coin but the railing has nine compartments and the svastika
has been exchanged for a taurine symbol.
Reference: Pieper 380 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/2 karshapana, multi-symbol type
Weight: 4.64 gm., Diameter: 13 mm.
Railed tree in center; on the left shrivatsa above svastika; on the right
chakra above fish-tank.
Double-orbed Ujjain symbol.
Reference: Pieper 381 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/8 karshapana, multi-symbol type
Weight: 1.32 gm., Diameter: 10x10 mm.
Obv.: Indradhvaja , three-arched hill, six-armed symbol, sun , svastika
Rev.: Ujjain symbol with a dot inside each orb.
Reference: Pieper 382
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/8 karshapana, multi-symbol type
Weight: 1.30 gm., Diameter: 11x11 mm.
Railed tree on right; Ujjain symbol above horizontally placed Indradhvaja
on left; taurine below and svastika above the Ujjain symbol.
Ujjain symbol with a dot inside each orb.
Reference: Pieper 383 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 3/4 karshapana, multi-symbol type
Weight: 5.98 gm., Diameter: 17x15 mm.
Six-armed symbol in center; svastika and taurine above a railed tree on
the left; Ujjain symbol above Indradhvaja on the right; river at the
bottom; above the six-armed symbol is a square tank with two fishes
and two turtles.
Ujjain symbol with a svastika in each orb.
Reference: Pieper 384 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 10 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 0.86 gm., Diameter: 10 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree with Ujjain symbol on right.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol.
Reference: Pieper 389 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 10 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 0.82 gm., Diameter: 8x7 mm.,
Obv.: Railed tree.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol
Reference: Pieper 391 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 10 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 0.82 gm., Diameter: 8x8 mm.
Obv:. Railed tree in square incuse.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol with a dot in each orb.
Reference: Pieper 392 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 10 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 0.91 gm., Diameter: 10x10 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree with Indradhvaja on right.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol.
Reference: Pieper 394 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 10 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 0.96 gm., Diameter: 10x7 mm.
Obv.: Tree in vase, dagger-like symbol on right.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol with thick dot in each orb and a dot in each angle.
Reference: Pieper 393 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 8 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 1.11 gm., Diameter: 10x8 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree with large crescent above; svastika above taurine on r.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol
Reference: Pieper 395 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 8 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 1.13 gm., Diameter: 9x8 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree with river on right; part of rectangular symbol on left;
two taurines on top.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol.
Reference: Pieper 396 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/ 8 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 1.23 gm., Diameter: 11x11 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree above river line.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol.
Reference: Pieper 397 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/4 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 2.76 gm., Diameter: 12x11 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree in square incuse with taurine on left.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol with a thick dot in each orb.
Reference: Pieper 398 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/4 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 1.90 gm., Diameter: 14x12 mm.
Obv.: Tree-on-hill.
Rev.: Four Ujjain symbols.
Reference: Pieper 399 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/2 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 4.58 gm., Diameter: 14 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree.
Rev.: Double-orbed Ujjain symbol.
Reference: Pieper 388 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, anonymous AE 1/2 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 4.19 gm., Diameter: 15x14 mm.
Obv.: Tree-on-hill on right and six-armed symbol on left.
Rev.: Ujjain symbol with alternating taurines and svastikas in the orbs.
Reference: Pieper 400
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Ujjain, anonymous lead 1/2 karshapana, tree type
Weight: 4.37 gm., Diameter: 16x16 mm.
Obv.: Railed tree on the right; on the left six-armed symbol above Indra-
dhvaja; taurine left and svastika right of the Indradhvaja.
Rev.: Double-orbed Ujjain symbol with a taurine in each angle.
Reference: Pieper 401 (plate specimen)
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Ujjain, inscribed AE 1/2 karshapana, 'tank between trees' type
Weight: 5.62 gm., Diameter: 14x14 mm.
Fishtank from which a water channel is branching flanked by two railed
trees; Brahmi legend part below reading 'sidhatho(madana)'
Ujjain symbol
Reference: Pieper 409 (plate specimen)
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Until now the legend
on this coin type had been read as 'rathimadana'. This is the first
specimen to show at least the first three letters of the legend clear
beyond doubt. Credit goes to Harry Falk to have read the legend as
'sidhato'. The
second part of the name appears to have been correctly identified from
the available specimens except for the last letter which still is
somewhat doubtful but '...madana' is well possible. In that case the
complete name would be 'Sidhathomadana'.
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Other Ujjain pages: page 1,
page 2, and
page 3
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