Antike Rare! Silver karshapana, Kasala Janapada, late independent period, 400s BC, Indi

Rare! Silver karshapana, Kasala Janapada, late independent period, 400s BC, India (R#975)

Four punchmarks (as shown above) / A number of bankers' marks. Irregular flan, ca.25x22 mm, 3.00 grams. Rajgor 954.

This issue was probably transitional between vimshatikas and the later, "light" karshapanas. This type was probably struck in the 5th century, either in the years immediately preceding the conquest of Kosala by Magadha or perhaps immediately afterwards. Rare coin, very nice for these.

Kasala Janapada was one of the sixteen mahājanapadas (great realms) of ancient India, mentioned in Buddhist texts such as the Anguttara Nikāya. It lay in the region of present-day Bihar or eastern Uttar Pradesh, though its exact location is debated. The Kasalas are often identified with the Kosalas, but some traditions treat them as a distinct people, possibly a smaller republic or tribal state that was later absorbed into the larger Kosala kingdom. Little is recorded about their rulers, but like other janapadas, Kasala contributed to the diverse political and cultural landscape of early Iron Age India before being overshadowed by larger powers such as Magadha.