Integrity Score 570
No Records Found
No Records Found
Only 10 coins, 6 of copper and 4 of silver, were recovered during the excavations. While the copper ones are badly rusted, the silver ones in a slightly better state of preservation look like Sassanian coins of eastern Magadhan variety having the impression of the Sassanian head or the fire-altar and bear the legend ‘Sri Vigraha’ or ‘Sri Vi’, and have been assigned to Vigrahapala II, i.e. in the second half of the tenth century AD. Prior to this no Pala ruler seems to have issued such coins, which in view of discovery of a large number of ‘Chitti’ cowries (a variety of sea-shell) in hoards, suggests that cowries may have been used extensively as a medium of exchange during Pala rule.
When compared to the seals and sealings recovered during excavations at Nalanda, certain fundamental differences are noticeable. No seals of kings, villages or janapadas, or of any persons from mercantile backgrounds or of officials have been found so far at Antichak and none of the seals discovered so far record the extra-local origin of any person. Unlike Nalanda, no seal of any village granted officially to the Mahavihar or even any copper plate inscription to such effect have been found. Nor do we get the seal of any official or monk or nun of the Mahavihar. One cannot be sure if the limited results from the excavation could be reflective of certain historical realities, in the absence of further excavations. As a whole, the epigraphic data from Antichak represents a great diversity in terms of social patronage of the Mahavihar.
To b continued....