The royal disciple of the Buddha. Ancient India. Magadha. King Bimbisara. AR Karshapanna. Series 1. Circa BC500. Numerous bankers' punchmarks. Very rare King Bimbisara was the ruler of the state of Magadha during the lifetime of the Buddha. It was largely there that the Buddha started teaching the Dharma after His Enlightenment. Bimbisara himself was a devout disciple of the Buddha and even at one point offered his throne to the Buddha which was declined. Thus apart from the Shakya Janapada coins, these are probably the second series of coinage that has the distinction of being circulated during the lifetime of and proximity of the Buddha himself.
Awesome coin @Loong Siew ! Congrats! Also, thanks for the excuse to post mine... India - Shakya Janapada AR 5-Shana 6th-5th Century BCE 25mm x 21mm, 7.05g Obv: Central Pentagonal punch plus several banker's marks Rev: Blank Ref: Hirano Type I.8.29 19 known. Coinage from the Ghaghara Gandak River region Minted in the Shakya Janaprada during Siddhārtha Gautama's (Later the Buddha) lifetime while he was prince, and under the authority of his father as King
Very nice! Here's my series 1 Karshapana. India, Magadha Series 1 AR punchmarked c. 6th-5th century BCE, time of kings Bimbisara and Ajatashatru 23-27mm 3.34g Five official punches plus one banker's mark GH 128 Ex CoinIndia
Awesome... I have these as well and posted on it years ago.. Started with 1 but since it was the Buddha's lifetime issue, added a couple more..
