Introduction
Maski(latitude 15*57 and longitude 76*45), located in Raichur district of Karnataka state, is a significant archaeological site in India. It was here in 1915 that a minor rock edict of Asoka was discovered by Beadon, which contained the name of Asoka instead of earlier edicts that referred to him as 'Devanam Priya PriyadarshiRaja', meaning 'the king who is beloved of the gods and who glances graciously upon all'. The edict at Maski was significant in establishing that many rock edicts discovered earlier in the Indian subcontinent, bearing the name 'Devanam Priya Priyadarsi', belonged to Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty. The inscription was first published by Krishna Sastrion behalf of the Archaeological Department of Hyderabad State in 1915 and later reviewed by Sircar in 1958. Maski is situated on the banks of the River Maski, which flows intothe Tungabhadra River. It was one of the earliest settlements in the Deccan and South India, which continued, in four cultural periods, namely Neolithic (3000-1200 BC), Iron Age (1200-300 BC), Early Historic Era (300 BC-500 AD), and Medieval period(500-1600 AD). Coins originated in India during the 6th-7th century BC, and have become a dependable source material for the study of ancient Indian history. It is no surprise that stratigraphic evidence in excavations is based on the finds of dated coins, and this method has become increasingly important (Ray, 1993). Robert Bruce first excavated the Maski area in 1870 and 1888, and the archaeological department of the erstwhile Hyderabad State continued the study from 1935 to 1943. However, Maski excavations reports never saw the light of day, except for the annual reports of the Archaeological Department of Hyderabad State (1935-36, 1938, 1939). That practice, too, was stopped after 1940 due to austerity during the Second World War. The three gold fanams were first discovered during the second year of excavation. However, surprisingly, the majority of coins found at Maski excavations were procured after 1940, and hence, even the benefit of annual reports is not forthcoming. Hence, the stratigraphic find of fanams at Maski will never be known. It may be of interest to note that some interesting coins from Maski excavations, such as those belonging to the Western Kshatrap period, were studied and reported by the archaeology department at Hyderabad (Trivedi, 1953). AmalenduGhosh conducted the last survey of Maski on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India in 1954 (Thaper, 1957). He found only four coins in excavations and three on the surface, which included one uninscribed lead coin and other medieval Muslim coins. Maski excavations have noted the presence of a gold smelting facility, and this area is close to Hutti; Kolar is also nearby. Hutti and Kolar in Karnataka are the only two places in India that have commercially produced gold in the past and present times. It was no surprise that rulers of this region, such as Western Gangas and Hoysalas, issued gold coins for the first time in South India.
About The Book
Fanams are typically South Indian and are distinct gold coins of small weight and size. Fanam is a corrupt term, and these coins should be known as Panams. References to these can be found in literary sources as well as in inscriptions. Pana's name is derived from the Sanskrit word Pana, which refers to an ancient Indian unit of weight. Panam became fanam. According to Portuguese travellers, this was the only currency in South India towards the end of the 15th century. There were more than 50 kinds of fanams current in South India at that time. Fanams must have been in circulation in the Deccan for a very long time. Fanams usually weigh a tenth of the standard gold coins of the medieval dynasties known as gadyanas, and fractions of fanams are also known. They do not have legends, and hence their correct identification is not specific, and this monograph helps in identifying them. Fanams were issued by a large number of rulers from South India, under various names, including Vira Raya fanam, Ganga fanam, Ikkeri fanam, Kali fanam, Kantirava fanam, Getty fanam, etc. Since fanams were popular, they were also issued by subsequent Muslim rulers. Ultimately, the issue of fanams ceased in the early nineteenth century when the British introduced a single monetary system comprising the rupee, anna, and paise in 1835. This book describes the various types of fanams that were current in South India in the past.
About The Author
Dr. Deme Raja Reddy is a numismatist and a neurosurgeon. He is the recipient ient of of the the presidency presidency of the two leading numismatic societies of India, namely the Numismatic Society of India and the South Indian Numismatic Society. Other honours include the 'Marremanda Rama Rao' medal of the Numismatic Society of India, the P.L. Gupta medal of the South Indian Numismatic Society, the presidency of the Ancient History Section of the Andhra Pradesh History Congress, and the presidency of the Telangana History Congress. Raja Reddy hails from Telangana and has contributed extensively to the study of coins of the Deccan, publishing over 20 books and approximately two hundred articles in national and international journals. Raja Reddy has been a pioneer neurosurgeon of the country and has been the director of the prestigious Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences of Hyderabad. He has been awarded the lifetime achievement ward of the Neurological Society of India.
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