Jain Inscriptions of Rajasthan

Author(s): Ramvallabh Somani
Publisher: Rajasthan Prakrit Bharti Sansthan Jaipur

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The ratio between the prices of gold and silver was 1 : 14 during the Rastrakuta period; which perhaps had changed only slightly.
Inscriptional evidence testifies that vimshopaka was a denomination smaller than dramma. It was perhaps a unit of it. The Nana102 inscription of V. E. 1257 (1200 A. D.) records a donation of 3 drammas and 6 vimshopakas for the benefit of Kapila-cows.
However in some inscriptions vinshopakas are referred to separately without mentioning drammas. The Sonapur inscription of V.E. 1333 records a gift of 36 vimshopakas instead of one dramma and 16 vimshopakas as we would expect if 20 vimshopakas constituted a dramma. We may, however, explain this discrepency as a manner of writing. Perhaps vimshopaka was the more popular coin. Therefore instead of writing the comparative values in drammas, the donor, who bequeathed 36 vimshopakus, preferred to recount the original amount of donation in the better-known vimshopakas.
We find certain drammas attached with the adjectives, Bhimpriya, Ajaypriya, Visalpriya etc. These were obviously dramma coins named after the rulers who issued them. Bhimpriya coin was struck by Chalukya Bhimdeva II of Gujarat, who ruled Gujarat from V.E. 1235 to 1298. This coin is also referred to in the PuratanPrabandh-Sangraha, Prabandh-Chintamani Dravya-Pariksha and many epigraphical and other literary sources. The Juna Badmer103 Jain temple inscription of V.E. 1352 records a grant made by Samantsingh Chauhan of ten Bhimpriya-Vimshopaka. Evidently Vismphopakas like drammas were also named after kings such as Bhimpriya. Another important dramma was Visalpriya. This is generally supposed to have been issued by Vishaldeva Bagbeia of
102. P.R.A.S.W.C. 103. Jin Vijay No. 371.