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I 20
LIFE IN ANCIENT INDIA
We meet with an expression in which the words heranna and suvanna are associated together. Suvanna is also mentioned separately.100 Still smaller denomination of gold coins was sudarnamāsaya 01
Another class of coin was called kāhāvana.102 A false (kūļa) kāhavana is mentioned.108 Māsa, addhamāsa and rūvaga are mentioned as other coins.104 Falserüvagas were known.106 Pannika106 and pāyanka 107 were the other coins in use.
Then the Brhatkalpa Bhäsya and its commentary mention various coins. The cowrie shells (kavaddaga) were most ordinary coins ; among copper coins kākınız108 was perhaps the smallest coin of the day which was in currency in Dakkhināvaha; among silver coins drammatis mentioned which was current in Bhillamāla ; among golden coins dinora. 110 or kevadika is mentioned which was current in Pūrvadesa. It is stated that two sábharakas" of Dvipa were equivalent to one rupee (rupaka) of Uttarāpatha, and two of Uttarāpatha coins were cquivalent to one of Pătaliputra ; or two rupees of Dakşiņāpatha were equivalent to one nelaa of Kancipuri and two of Kāzcipuri to one of Kusumanagara (Pāțaliputra).113
PURCHASING POWER
We do not much know about the purchasing power of money or the prices of ordinary commodities in those days. We are told that a
09 Uva. 1 p. 6 According to Bhandarkar, when Suvanna is associated with heranya, it must stand not for gold, but a type of gold coins, Ancient Indian Numsmatics, p. 51.
100 Ava cu. P 39, Ava Ti. (Han), p 04 a
101 Uttarā 8, P 124 A suvannamāsaka was a gold coin equal to one māsa in weight according to the standard of gold coinage, Bhandarkar, op cit, p. 53.
102 Uttará T: 7, p 118, the kahāpana in use in Rājagaha during Bumbasara's time was the standard of money adapted by the Buddha in the formation of those rules into which the matter of money entered (Samantapāsādıkā, u, p 297). The kāhāpāna appears to have been of three varieties, according as it was of gold, silver and copper , Bhandarkar, op cut p 81, also cf. p. 96 Kāhāpana was a square coin weighing about 146 grains, and guaranteed as to weight and fitness by punch-marks made by private individuals Rhys Davids, Buddhast India, p 100
103 Uttara Su 20. 42 Also see Charandas Chatterjee's article on some Numismatic Data in Pali literature, Buddhistic studies, pp 383 ff
104 Sūva II, 2 p 327a , Uttară Sū. 8 17, māsaka and addhamāsaka are also mentioned in the fătaka (1, p 120, III, p. 448). The lohamāsaka, dārumāsaka and Jatumäska are mentioned in the Paramatihajotikā I p. 37, the com. on the Khuddakapātha.
106 Aug, số p 650
108 Vya. Bha. 3 267-8 According to Kätyāyana, māsha also known as pana was onetwentieth part of kār.hapana (Bhandarkar op. cit., p. 188)
107 Ava T. (Hari.), P 432.
108 Ultarā T. 7. 11, p. 118. It was a coper coin equal to 7 of a copper kärsäparia. Also see Artha. p. 96.
100 In the Nisi cū, (p 616) the variant is 'cammalato'. The carina or leather coin is also referred to in the Bhavabhävanā, pt II (p 378) of Maladhārı Hemacandra, Bhavanagar, 1938, where it is stated to have been current in the time of the Nandas. Dramma is traced to the greek Drachma, The Greeks ruled over north-west India from 200 B. C. to 200 A. D.
110 Dinara was an Indian gold coin adapted from the Roman denarius during the Kushana rule in the first century A. D (Bhandarkar's, op. cit., p. 67).
111 According to Dr Motichand, they were pre-Islamic coins known as Sabean coins. 112 Brh. Bha. 1. 1969 ; 3. 3891 f.
