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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
The term hirannal denoted money in general, and among the gold coins suvanna or dinara2 and suvaņņamāsakahave been mentioned. According to Bhandarkar, suvarna, when associated with hiranya, stood not for gold but for a type of gold coin.4 Dināra is mentioned as a gold coin which was common in eastern India (Puvvadesa).5 A hoard of dindras minted by king Mayurānka and engraved with the peacock-replica (mayūra-anka)" is mentioned to have been discovered by a person who was later punished by the king for making use of these coins without the permission of the state. It is wellknown that the Guptas struck two types of gold coins one of which conformed to the weight of Roman Dinarus standard and the other that of Manu's suvarna.? Vişnugupta as quoted in Hemadri's Vratakhan da equates 7 rūpakas with a suvarna and 28 rūpakas with a dināra.8 Nārada and Katyāyana', however, regard both the terms, i.e. suvarna and dinara, as synonyms. The author of the NC. also shares the same view.
Suvannamā saka is another type of gold coin mentioned in the text. The wages of an attendant are mentioned to have been increased to an extent of one suvannama saka daily by the
1. FETTO F91_NC. 2, p. 109. Vātsyāyana also uses the word hiranya
for money in general whicb, according to H. C. Chakaldar, perhaps
includes gold and silvar coins.--Social Life in Ancient India, p. 150. 2. NC. 3, p. 111; Brh. Vr. 2, p. 574. 3. NC. 4, p. 350. 4. Bhandarkar, D. R., Ancient Indian Numismatics, p. 51. 5."14" f ari, El Tall TOTI ANC, 3, p. 111; Brh. Vr. 2, p. 574. 6. NC. 3, p. 388. The practice of engraving coins with peacock stamp
was quite prevalent in ancient India. The coins of Kumāragupta are mostly engraved with the stamp of peacock-the bird sacred to Kumāra and his name sake. These have been found in large number in peninsula and also in central Gujarat. The Maitrakas of Valabbi also issued coins which bore the goddess Parvati, a peacock
and a trident.--Majmudar, M. R., op. cit., pp. 123-24. 7. Bhandarkar, D. R., Lectures on Indian Numismatics, p. 183; also
Brown, Coins of India, p. 45. 8. Kane, P.V., op. cit., vol. III, p. 122. 9. Ibid.
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