दक्षिणापथपति 'Dakshina-patha-pati'
An Important Collection of Ancient Coins from North-Central Deccan (Marathwada and Vidarbha), Belonging to the Post-Mauryan / Early Satavahana Period, c. 200-50 BC
This collection comprises of 142 coins of great historical significance that adds considerably to our knowledge of the History of ancient Maharashtra. It includes coins of hitherto unknown rulers and of interesting types. It includes several countermarked and counterstruck coins and fractional issues which open new vistas in understanding of Post-Mauryan, Pre-Satavahana and Satavahana history. A number of these coins may be from the recent find of coins at Pusad, dist. Yavatmal, Maharashtra – but a number of others are not. It is not possible to say which individual sites they were collected from but it is certain, from the types included, that they must have been picked up from the districts of Aurangabad, Akola, Buldhana, Yavatmal, Wardha and Nagpur. The coins are presented hereunder in eight classificatory groups, comprising of specimens related to each other through type characteristics and legends. The coins are described under 'Groups', some of them having a 'General type', with variations or interesting features listed for individual coins.

Group 1: 'Elephant' type coins with the legend Siri Sadavahana
These coins were attributed to a ruler named Satavahana thought to be the progenitor of the dynasty. Recent research has shown this to be wrong. The coins are issued by the dynastic name rather than an individual king's name during the period of Siri Satakani (100-50 BC), who was responsible for the firm establishment of Satavahana rule further East in Vidarbha, from his base in Western Maharashtra, in the regions around Junnar, Newase and Paithan.
General Type:
Obv: Elephant with upraised trunk walking to right, ancillary symbols around; Brahmi legend Raño Siri Sadavahanasa above. Rev: Bold Ujjain symbol with concentric circles as its orbs, one of which is modified as a 'Nandipada'; Swastikas (and other symbols) in quadrants.
Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth; legend Raño Siri Sada(va)… Rev: Swastikas in quadrants, 4.10g.
View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth, wavy line below; legend Raño Siri Sada(va)… Rev: Swastikas in quadrants, 5.30g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth; legend Raño Siri Sadavahana. Rev: Swastikas in quadrants, 5.56g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, traces of tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth, wavy line with fish below; legend …ño Siri Sadavaha… Rev: Swastika and Shrivatsa alternating in quadrants, 5.79g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth; legend …(Sa)davahana… Rev: Swastika and Shrivatsas in quadrants, 5.37g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth; legend Raño Siri Sada(va)… Rev: Swastikas in quadrants, 5.38g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth; legend …ño Siri Sada(va)… Rev: Swastika and Shrivatsas in quadrants, 5.82g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways above elephant, with Swastika behind it; traces of tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth, wavy line below; legend …ño Siri Sadava… Rev: Swastikas in quadrants, 3.15g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways, with top to left, above elephant; tree-in-railing in front, wavy line below; legend Raño Siri Sadavahana. Rev: Shrivatsas in quadrants, 7.83g. View Lot

Obv: Triangle-headed standard placed sideways, with top to left, above elephant; tree-in-railing in front, wavy line with fishes below; legend Raño Siri Sadavahana. Rev: Shrivatsas in quadrants, but not clear due to patination, 7.02g. View Lot

Obv: A row of Nandipada, Shrivatsa and Nandipada above elephant; traces of tree-in-railing in front; legend …ño Siri Sadavahana. Rev: Shrivatsa and Swastikas alternating in quadrants, 11.80g. View Lot

Obv: A row of Nandipada, Shrivatsa and Nandipada above elephant; traces of tree-in-railing in front; legend …ño Siri Sada… Rev: Shrivatsa and Swastikas alternating in quadrants, 12.14g. View Lot

Obv: No triangle-headed standard above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth; legend …Siri Sada (vaha)… Rev: Swastikas in quadrants, 6.67g. View Lot

Obv: No triangle-headed standard above elephant, tree-in-railing in front, Shrivatsa under mouth; legend Raño Siri Sada… Rev: Swastikas in quadrants, 7.57g. View Lot

Group 2: This group comprises coins which appear to have functioned as fractions of Group 1 described above. They are of two types, listed hereunder:
Type A:

Obv: Elephant with trunk upraised walking to right; legend Raño Siri Sadavahanasa above. Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a 'Nandipada'; no symbols around.
Obv: Shrivatsa and Swastika in front of the elephant; legend …Siri Sadavaha... Rev: Ujjain symbol partly visible, 2.13g. View Lot

Obv: Wavy line below elephant, Swastika; legend Raño Siri Sadavaha… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 2.41g. View Lot

Obv: Shrivatsa under the mouth of elephant; legend … Sadavahana. Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 1.34g. View Lot

Obv: No symbols around elephant; legend Raño Siri Sadavaha… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 2.29g. View Lot

Obv: No symbols around elephant; legend …Siri Sadavaha… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 1.57g. View Lot

Obv: No symbols around elephant; legend Raño Siri Sada… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 1.65g. View Lot

Obv: No symbols around elephant; legend Raño Siri Sa(da)… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 2.05g. View Lot

Obv: No symbols around elephant; legend …(ño) Siri Sa(da)… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 1.73g. View Lot

Obv: No symbols around elephant; legend …Siri Sadavaha… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 1.78g. View Lot

Obv: No symbols around elephant; legend …ño Siri Sadava… Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles as orbs, one orb modified as a Nandipada; no symbols around, 1.12g. View Lot

Type B:
Obv: Elephant with trunk upraised walking to right, bold Nandipada above.
Rev: Ujjain symbol with single circles and dot within as orbs, one of the orbs modified into a Nandipada; Brahmi legend from clockwise from this orb; Raño Siri Sadavahanasa.
Obv: Shrivatsa under elephant's mouth, wavy line below. Rev: Legend Raño Siri Sadavahana., 1.77g. View Lot