Karshapana
Also called: Kārṣāpaṇa, Pana, Punch-marked coins · Topic: Money: From Barter to Digital Currency · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 11 "From Barter to Money"
Meaning
Kārṣhāpaṇa, or paṇa, were ancient Indian punch-marked coins. They were made of gold, silver, copper or their alloys. Symbols were punched onto them, and these symbols were called rūpas. They date from around the 6th century BCE and are among India's earliest coins. The word survives today: paṇam in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, and haṇa in Kannada, both mean money.
Example
The Arthaśāstra gives two examples:
- An annual salary of 60 paṇas could be replaced by 1 āḍhaka of grain (about 3 kg) per day, enough for four meals.
- The fine for failing to help a neighbour was 100 paṇas, more than a whole year's salary. This shows how seriously civic duty was taken.
Don't confuse with
- Rupiya: the kārṣhāpaṇa is the ancient punch-marked coin. The silver rupiya of Sher Shah Suri (1540s) is the ancestor of today's rupee.