Culture and the Arts

Wednesday 9, April 1986

Our Coins before the Christian era

In this article, I shall endeavor to trace the Sinhala coinage which was in use in Sri Lanka before the Christian era. The punch-marked coins , known in Sanskrit as purana or `old', thus Anglicized as `elding', are the earliest form of money known in the country and which continued us use for a long period of time. The name kahapana (Sanskrit karshapana (in the Buddhist scriptures is sometimes meant for this money in silver. It is believed that the `eldling' coinage began before the time of the Buddha, and it has been in long use in many parts of India. These coins occur in several shapes: round, oval, oblong square and rectangular, perhaps made from strips of silver and copper of varying thickness by subdividing the copper coins are very seldom found locally other than the copper cores of silvered coins. There are symbols punched on one or both sides of the coins, usually two to five on the obverse and one to three on the reverse, if it is not left blank; more than 300 such symbols have been identified e.g. human figures, birds, animals, trees, solar and lunar signs etc. It is noticeable that the punch-marks on the obverse have appeared at different times in the life of the coin, for some seem to be overlapping, suggesting that these coins have passed through the hands of several money changers, whose marks of identity have been punched in them.	Punch-marked elding or silver kahapana (Circa 6th century B.C.)
	Lakshmi plaque (Circa 2nd century B.C.)
	`Maneless Lion' coin (Circa 1st century B.C.)

In the Mahavamsa it is stated that "King Vijaya consecrated the daughter of the Pandu king with solemn ceremony as his queen; bestowed wealth on his ministers, and every year he sent to his wife's father a shell-pearl worth twice a hundred thousand (pieces of money)", which may have been silver punch-marked `eldlings' of the sixth century B.C.
John Still did a detailed study of a find of 70 punch-marked coins (68 silver coins, one silvered copper and one copper coin) made during the course of excavations at a Vihara named Bo-Upulvan-Kasubgiri Vehera, at Anuradhapura, which, according to the Mahavansa, was another name for the Isurumuniya Vihara repaired by Kasyapa I ( CE  479-497), making it larger than before. He gathered from two lithic inscriptions found in the vicinity-Kasub-giri Vehera flourished up to about 1000  CE , and inferred that the coins found therein may have been in circulation up to this time. It is now thought that this coinage perhaps existed from Vijaya's invasion in the sixth century BCE until about 300  CE , and certainly not as late as 1000 CE is suggested by John Still.
Sir A. Cunningham in his work Coins of Ancient India gives the standard weight of the punch-marked `eldling' or the silver kahapana as 57.6 grains. I have observed a small, square shaped, silver punch-marked `eldling' found at Anuradhapura, with one corner cut off, perhaps to achieve some standard weight.

The Elephant and Svastika issues which followed the `elding' coinage, consisted of large, roughly circular copper coins . These coins are said to be of the double-die type, implying that they have been struck with two dies, one on the obverse, and the other on the reverse; each die had a group of symbols which have been impressed on the coin at one and the same time, unlike the symbols on the punch-marked `eldings' which appeared from time to time.
The major symbols identified on the obverse of the coins are an elephant walking left, with trunk extended, a three-branched be-tree in an enclosure; a svastika revolving to the right, mounted on a staff and railed, and a chaitya of three cells. On the reverse are a railed svastika, and a chaitya of three cells as on the obverse; and a trident head over a circle which is the `Nandipada' symbol of `triratna' significance.
John Still says that "all of the symbols are Buddhist; that is to say, each symbol can be justly taken as indicative of Buddhism, if its surroundings allow of the probability of such being the case..... Doubtless to the king who struck these coins they were emblematic of Buddhism and of little else". It is suggested that three of the foregoing symbols are meant to represent three important events in the life of Gautama Buddha.
The elephant on our coin may refer to his Birth which is associated with the dream that his mother, Queen Mahamaya, had one night before he was born: a beautiful white elephant entered her womb through her side. The Bo tree under which he sat in deep meditation is perhaps symbolic of his Enlightenment; and the chaitya enclosing three relic cells in which were enshrined his relics may represent his Parinibbana.
The significance of the railed svastika is far from clear. But its occurrence enables us to assign the coins to the reign of any particular king. A railed svastika exactly like that seen on the `Elephant and Svastika' coins is found in some cave inscriptions written in Brahmi characters of the most ancient type, in regard to the donation of ten caves to the Buddhist clergy by a prince named Tisa, son of `Devanapiya-maharaja Gamini Abhaya', at the Gallena Vihara in the Kurunegala District.
Dr. E. Muller identified the prince named Tisa in these inscriptions with Mahacula Mahatissa, adopted son of Vattagamani (Valagambahu), who reigned at Anuradhapura in the first century B.C. The conclusion to be drawn then seems to be that our coins were current in the reign of this king.
In the Mahavamsa, it is said that during the making of the relic chamber of the Ruwanvalisaya, King Dutugamunu made it known: "Work shall not be done here without wages". ... "At every gate he commanded to place sixteen hundred thousand `kahapanas', very many garments, different ornaments, solid and liquid foods and drink withal, fragrant flowers, sugar and so forth, as well as the five perfumes for the mouth". ... "Let them take of these as they will when they have labourful as they will". ... "Observing this command the king's work-people allotted the wages" (Wilhelm Geiger - page 199).
It is likely that the `kahapana' coins of this king allotted as wages were of copper, if not the silver `eldlings', and thus may be identified with our `Elephant and Svastika' copper issues of the second century B.C. According to Codrington, the age of these coins came within, the period of early Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

The oblong plaques show on the obverse a female figure. believed to represent goddess Lakshmi, clad in a girdle, wearing bangles on her arms, and anklets on her legs. She stands on a lotus, holding in her hands two lotus stalks springing from either side; over her head is the `vase of plenty' (`purnaghata') held between the two, trunks, forming an arch, of two small elephants at either side of her. On the reverse is a railed svastika revolving to the right, exactly like that seen on the `Elephant and Svastika' coins. It may be added that in some plaques the svastika is found revolving to the left; these are very rare indeed.
The presence of a pre-Christian symbol such as the railed svastika on both the plaques and the `Elephant and Svastika' pieces as well, is sufficient evidence that these types first appeared before the Christian era, perhaps in quick succession. The striking of these coins may have ceased about CE, as prolific issues of Roman ` third brass ' formed the principal currency of the island soon afterwards.
John Still held the view that the plaques were not money, but it would appear that they have been in use as "votive offerings and amulets". Henry Parker and Sir Paul E. Pieris disagreed with Still that in some places the plaques have been found buried with coin and were therefore considered coins by those who buried them. The occurrence of plaques of varying sizes, apparently some being fractions of the whole, judging from size and weight, is another point in their favor.

Our coins , which bear on the obverse within a line circle a maneless lion standing left or right, and on the reverse, within a similar circle four dots, are assigned to the reign of Mahasena ( CE  276-303) by Codringion, in view of a find made at the `pilimage' of the Jetavanarama which this king built. We now know that this structure was actually built by Vattagamini in the first century B.C., and called Abhayagiri Dagaba. The inference then seems to be that the `Maneless Lion' coins may have been issued before the Christian era.