He said nearly 80 per centof early Indian history was reconstructed through inscriptions and coins, which preserve names, symbols and clues from periods with scarce written records.
Hyderabad:Small metal fragments that once changed many hands became the focus of an engaging lecture on early Indian history delivered by numismatist Dr D. Raja Reddy during World Heritage Week. He said nearly 80 per centof early Indian history was reconstructed through inscriptions and coins, which preserve names, symbols and clues from periods with scarce written records.
Hosted by the Department of Heritage Telangana at the State Museum, the talk traced Kotilingala finds, Satavahana issues and Indo-Greek influence. Dr Reddy explained how early punch-marked coins carried only symbols, and how Kotilingala discoveries revealed rulers like Gobada, Narana, Kamvayasa, Sirivayasa and Samagopa, names unknown until their coins surfaced. He noted that Samagopa preceded Chimuka Satavahana and that countermarks help establish succession.
He also highlighted links to the Musi, citing the Akkannagurlli hoard and trade routes that brought Roman coins into Telangana. Discussing purity levels, he said Satavahana coins were 99.3 per cent pure, offering insights into ancient ore sources. He pointed to religious symbolism too, including the namam marking Vaishnava rulers and Buddhapada coins from Mahbubnagar that show Buddhism persisted locally even after its decline.
A major section focused on Indo-Greek bilingual coins that helped James Prinsep decipher Brahmi and Kharoshthi. “One coin gave eight alphabets at a time,” he said, displaying Agathocles and Menander pieces and linking them to the Jonagiri inscription. He ended with an anecdote about TTD’s 40-tonne coin collection and the need to preserve every pre-Independence coin because “each one has a story to tell.”
