Coins of the Malavas of Rajasthan

Author(s): Kalyan Kumar Das Gupta
Publisher: Z_Nahta_Bandhu_Abhinandan_Granth_012007.pdf
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/250044/1

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Coins of The Malavas of Rajasthan Kalyan Kumar Dasgupta, M.A., D. Phil. Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta Identical with the Malloi of the Classical accounts, the Malavas of indigenous tradition were one of the celebrated tribes of ancient India remembered in history for their stubborn resistance to Alexander the Great in the fourth century B. C. Though their opposition to the Macedonian hero failed, they elicited admiration of foreign observers for their excellent fighting qualities.1 During this period they were living in the Central Punjab, between the Chenab and the Ravi and the memory of their association with the State lingers in the name Malwa denoting the region comprised of the districts of Ferozepur and Ludhiana, the old States of Patiala, Jind, Nabha and Malerkotla, The memory of the early Punjab association is further preserved in the name of the dialect Malawai used in the region extending from Ferozepur to Bhatinda.? The tribe, however, subsequently migrated to Rajasthan most probably owing to the pressure of Greek invasions under Demetrius, Apollodotus and Menander.3 Hencerth Rajasthan became their field of activity and the Malavagana-vishaya, an expression used in a third century record seems to have been made up of a considerable portion of southeastern Rajasthan comprising parts of the old States of Udaipur, Jaipur, and Tonk and the district of Ajmer. Still later they occupied the north-west part of Central India, the region which came to be known by the nams Malava after them. In the early mediaeval period Malwa roughly denoted the region between the Gangetic Valley & and the Vindhyan mountain on the one hand and Bundelkhand and the Aravalli range on the other.5 Credit goes to the Malavas for having issued extensive coinage. And indeed, they were one of the few tribal peoples of ancient India to have issued coins. So far more than 6000 coins issued by them have been recovered, all from 1. See R. C. Majumdar (edited), Classical Accounts of India, pp. 66, 68, 138, 199 etc. 2. George Abraham Grierson, Linguistic Survey of India. IX, 1, p. 709. 3. K. K. Dasgupta, The Malavas, pp. 4-5, 23. 4. Ibid, p. 5. 5. Ibid., p. 6. itihAsa aura purAtattva : 77

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eastern and south-eastern Rajasthan, the noted findspots being Karkotanagar of simply Nagar ( 15 miles to the south-west of Uniyara and about 25 miles to the south-south-east by south of Tonk ) and Rairh ( 34 miles from Nagar ). Of these a piece weighing only 1,7 grain and having a diameter of 2 inch constitutes 'cne of the smallest coins in the world." While the majority of coins bear the tribal name (e. g. Jaya Malavana or Jayah Malavanam ). on some are inscribed 'legends of a peculiar character, such as Bhapamyana, Mapojaya, Magajasa etc. A lead seal, discovered at Rairh and now in the Amber Museum, Rajasthan, bears the legend Malavajanapadasa, thus recalling the legend Sibijanapadasa appearing on the coins of another Rajasthan tribe, the Sibis. Generally Malava coins are of round shape, but rectangular pieces are also not uncommon. The device and symbols appearing on them are human bust ( an interesting feature, since it is frequently found on Satrapal coins, rarely on tribal issues ), sqatting male figure, bull, peacock, lotus flower, pinnate palm leaf, vase with or without foliage, undulating line (a prominent feature of the Rairh specimens ) and 'cross and ball' or the so-called Ujjain symbol. Toe date of the Malava coinage ranges between the second century B. C. and fourth century A. D. The earliest form of the tribal name, as R. O. Douglass would have us believe, is Malaya, i. e. Malaya, which he finds on a few specimens in the collection of Nelson Wright. ivala, occurring on some other coins of the same collection, is regarded by Douglas? as the name of a king, the founder 1. Ibid., p. 1. Also Alexander Cunningham (edited ). Archaeological Survey of India, Reports ( henceforth CASR), VI, p. 162 f. and K. N. Puri. Excavations at Rairh, ( henceforth ER ) 2. Dasgupta, The Malavas, p. 6, pl. II, 19-20; Vincent A. Smith, Catalogue of Coins in the Indian Museum (henceforth CCIM ), p. 178, no. 106. 3. Dasgupta, The Malavas, p. Ilf, pl. II, 23 pl. III, 25-36. 4. Puri, ER, p. 71. pl. XXVI, no. 22. Also Dasgupta, The Malavas, p. 1, pl. II, 17. For the Sibi coins see John Allan, Catalogue of Coins in the British Museum, Ancient India ( henceforth CCBM ), p. 213, pls. XLIV; CCIC, p. 180, INST ), IX, XIV. 5. Numismatic Supplement XXXVII, p. 45. Regarding the names Malaya and Malava D. C. Sircar (See Age of the Imperial Unity, p. 163 ) suggests that the latter like the former which is known to be the name of a mountain range, is probably derived from Dravidian word malai meaning 'hill'. This can have at best only speculative value. 6. The Nasik inscription of Ushavadata contains the form Malaya, see Epigraphia Indica VIII, p. 71 f. 7. Op. cit., p. 45. 78 : agaracanda nAhaTA abhinandana-grantha

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of the tribe, but it appears to have been intended to be Malaya or Malava. The legends which are generally met with on the Malava coins are Malavanam jayah1 (i. e. 'let the Malavas be victorious') and its variant Malavaganasya jayah (i. e. let the Malava-gana be victorious'). The legends are paralleled by those on the coins of the Arjunayanas and the Yaudheyas. The significance of them is understandably clear, But expressions like Bhapamyana, Gajuva, Gojaua, Gojara, Maha ( a ) raya ( ma is not clear ). Jamaha, Jamapaya, Magachha, Magaja, Magajasa, Magojaba, Majupa, Mapaka, Mapojaya, Maraja, Masapa, Pachha, Paya, Yama ( may be read backwards as Maya ) and Maraja found on a distinct group of Malava coinage (the attribution of these coins to the Malavas is not only on the basis of provenance, type and fabric, but also on the explirit occurrence of the tribal name along with one of the above-mentioned legends, infra have for a long time been a riddle to scholars. Attempts have been made by scholars to solve the riddle, though without any substantial success as yet. While Carlleyle" first discovered the Malava coins in thousands at Karkotanagar, he recognised in these legends the names of about forty Malava chiefs, Smith traces only nineteen or twenty (if Yama is read as Maya or Maya as Yama, the number will be nineteen) such names on the coins all of which he regards as of foreign origin. If these legends stand for names at all, as Carlleyle and Smith think, it is true that they sound rather un-Indian. And if they are regarded as names of foreign rulers, it is a problem, to use the words of Allane, "what invaders could have struck them. They are too late for the Hunas; in addition, out of over twenty names, not one bears any resemblance to any Saka or Huna name." Allan' further points out that these legends cannot be regarded as names of rulers 1. Malava coins, generally being small, legends on them are mostly incomplete or found in shortened form. Thus we come across Malava jaya or Malavana jaya, Sometimes Malavahna jaya is met with, which seems to be a mistake Similarly Malava java or simply Maiava appears to be a shortened form of a completes legend like Malavanam jaya. The lack of space if the obvious reason for such shortened forms. 2. For the Arjunayana coins, See CCBM, p. 121. pl. XIV, 10-11, and CCIM. p. 164, pl. XX, 10; for the Yaudheya coins, see CCBM, p. 265f, pls. XXXIX-XL; CCIM, P, 180f, pl, XXI; INSI, II. XIII, XVIII etc. Also see my article on the Arjunayanas, Journal of the Oriental Institute, June, 1971 (in press ). 3.. K.P. Jayaswal reads Bhampayana, Hindu Poliiy (henceforth HP, third impression ), p. 381. 4. CCSR, TI, p. 174. 5. CCIM, p. 163. 6. CCBM, p. cvi. 7. Ibid., p. cvii. itihAsa aura purAtattva : 79

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since "in not one there is any trace of a genitive". According to himmost of these legends are to be treated as "meaningless attempts to reproduce parts or Malavanam jaya" and this suggestion, he avers, "may account for so many of the legends beginning with ma and for the frequency of ma as another letter of the inscription, and indeed, for the limited number of consonants which form these inscriptions". Allan is thus disinclined to regard these legends as names, far less names of foreign rulers. The legends are, therefore, to be taken either as personal names or as attempts to reproduce a complete legend like Malavanam jaya partially. One point, however, is to be noted in this connection: the letter ma frequently occurs, as many as sixteen times, in a group of twenty legends and on eleven occasions it is initial letter. The frequency of this letter drew the attention of two Indian scholars, Jayaswala and Bhandarkars, who discussed the meaning and significance of theslegends before the publication of Allan's Catalogue. Jayaswal, who regarded these legends as personal names, suggested that these "seem to be abbreviations-marajaMaharaja; cf. Maharaya'...Mapojaya, Mapoya and Magaja are probably Maha(Maharaja) aya, Ma (Maharaja) Paya and Ma (Maharaja Gaja. Similarly, Magajasa= Ma (Maha) Gaja (Gajasa), Gajava=Gaja-pa" etc. Bhandarkart took the letter ma as the abbreviation not of Maha or Maharaja, but of the tribal name, Malava and he interpreted the remaining letters also as contractions of words like gana, jaya, etc.; for instance gargana, ja=jaya, Magaja thus standing for Malava ganasya jaya. Bhandarkar thus attempted to improve upon the suggestion of Jayaswal. The smallness of the size of the Malava coins and the consequent lack of space thereon give the suggestions of Jayaswal and Bhandarkar an appearance of probability. Allans, however, objects to the view of Jayaswal on two grounds first, even if ma is taken to stand for Maharaja, the remaining letters of the legends do not offer any intelligible names and, second, there is no instance of a contraction in Indian numismatics As to the second objection of Allan, it may be pointed out that though we have no definite instance of a contraction or abbreviation, its probability cannot be totally ignored. Allan's first argument has of course some force. Apparently unaware of Bhandarkar's suggestion, he has not referred to some of the letters, other than ma, having been interpreted as abbreviations of words 1. Ibid. 2. HP, p. 381. 3. For Bhandarkars suggestion see Annals of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, XXIII, p. 224. 4. Loc. cit. 5. Op. cit., p. cvii. 6. Cf. Maharaja Gana on the Naga coinage as an abbreviation for Maharaja Ganendra, see S, K. Chakraverty, Ancient Indian Numismatics, p. 194, 80 : agaracanda nAhaTA abhinandana-grantha

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like gana and jaya. In spite of it, his objection cannot be disregarded, for the ingenious method of interpretation employed by Jayaswal and improved upon by Bhandarkar fails to explain letters like chha, pa, bha and sa, on whose meaning no light has been thrown. It is, therefore, difficult to regard the legends concerned as abbreviations of complete legends like Maharaja-paya or Malavaganasya jaya. While Allan's objection to the view that these legends are not abbreviations has some weight, his own suggestion is open to criticism. It is difficult to understand how it could be possible for mint-masters to systematically make "meaningless attempts to reproduce parts of Malavana jaya (are in Malavaganasya jaya) the letters chha, pa, bha, and sa are conspicuous by their absence. The difficulty that appears as insuperable in accepting Allan's view is that there is at least one coin in the Indian Museum1 which definitely bears the name of the tribe Malava along with one of the curious expressions Majupa, thereby showing that Majupa can in no way be regarded as a meaningless attempt to reproduce parts of Avialavanam jaya. Thus we are to revert to the main suggestion offered by Carlleyle and Smith that these legends stand for names of Malava chiefs. But we differ from Smith who regards these chiefs as of foreign extraction. Apparently these names sound non-Indian, but a foreign origin cannot be established merely on the basis of names, specially when no successful attempt has been made to connect them with any foreign stock. While it has not so far been proved that they were of foreign extraction, the probability of their belonging to a non-Aryan stock may be considered. Words of non-Sanskritic origin, like the present legends, are not altogether absent in Indian numismatics. An analogous case is furnished by words like Ralimasa (or Talimata), Dojaka, Atakataka, etc. appearing on a group of negama coins found at Taxila They have been taken by scholars as proper names, either of the names of persons or of places. On this analogy, therefore, the outlandish words on Malava coins may be regarded as proper names and, as has been suggested above, they seem to be the names of Malava chiefs, probably of non-Aryan origin. NonSanskritic personal names like Magasa (Bhavishya Purana) Mankana (Mahabharata and the Puranas), Majjala (Mahabharata), etc. also tempt us to consider the legends on Malava coins as personal names. Incidentally, it will be of interest to the recent discovery of a few coins. with the legends Hamugama, Valaka, Mahu, Dasa and Sauma at Ujjayini and Vidisa. According to K. D. Bajpai these legends stand for personal names and since they sound un-Indian, like the legends on our coins, they are to be attributed to Saka chiefs ruling from 200 to 100 B. C. It is not necessary to suppose that there was a Saka infiltration on this ground. Indeed, there is no definite evidence of the Saka 1. CCIM, p. 175, no. 70. 11 itihAsa aura purAtatva : 81

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occupation of Malwa before the beginning of the second century A. D. Hence the theory of the Saka domination over Malwa in the second century B. C., as propounded by Bajpai, seems to be untenable. Against taking the legends on the Malava coins in question as personal names one may point out, as Allan has done, that they are without any normal genitive suffix. But actually there are definite instances of personal name in coinlegends having no genitive suffix. The Naga coinage, to which some of the Malava coins are closely related, is an illustration on the point. The non-use of the genitive sign is a feature shared by both the Malava and the Naga coinages generally unnoticed by scholars. Names like Hamuguma, Vataka, Mahu as found on coins recently discovered and noted above furnish another example of the non-use of genitive suffix. Hence there is no strong case against the view of the legends being regarded as personal names. Further, it will be an oversimplification of the chronological problem presented by these coins if they are assigned without any differentiation to one specific period, the third-fourth century A. D. Some of these coins, as we have mentioned before, are earlier than the rest. Thus there is no question of accommodating so many rulers in a limited period, a difficulty which some scholars have experienced in recent times. To sum up, the coins bearing enigmatical legends like Bhapanyana, Mapojaya, Magaja, Jamaka etc. should be attributed to Malava chiefs. Some of them such as the one bearing Yama may be placed in pre-Christian centuries, while others such as the one bearing Magojava may be assigned to the third-fourth century A. D. 82 : agaracanda nAhaTA abhinandana-grantha