78 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVIU, 
The ordinary medium of exchange in the kingdom of Jain- 
tia was karsa or cowries. There was also a silver money (coin) 
called Katra taka which was priced at 4 as. according to the 
East India Company’s standard of a sicca rupee (see J.A.S.B., 
1895, Vol. LXIV, Part I, pp. 242-3). Local custom fixes the 
value of a taka or rupee in terms of cowrie thus :-— 
4 karsa or cowries=1 ganda 
20 gandas=1 anna or pana 
(Therefore, 80 cowries=1 pana of karsa or | karsapana) 
16 panas (or karsapanas)=1 kahana (karsapana or 
aha pana of silver) or taka. 
Karsapana or kahapana was a very ancient form of money 
and it was issued both in silver and copper. The silver issues 
were called ‘‘ rupyarupa’’ during the age of the Mauryyas (see 
viii, 134-8 : Yajfiavalkya, I, 362-364: Visnu IV, 8-14). As far 
as my information goes no copper coin has vet been discovered 
in Jaintia, and the probabilty is that the Jaintia kings issued 
no copper coin, although they minted the silver pieces (katra 
taka). 
From the above data we may ascertain the value of land 
at that time in Jaintia in terms of the E.I. Co.’s money (sicca 
rupee) or roughly in our money (rupee) which is, however, a 
debased coin in comparison with the Company’s :— 
6 ares at 140 karsapana (lines 16-17) or Rs 8. 
1 
as. 
, 1 kedara at Rs 1. 73 as. 
Again, 4 kedaras at 60 karsapana (Il. 18-19) or Rs 3. 12as. 
1 kedara at 15 as. , 
¢ of the amount, i.e. about 4 as. This is not very surprising, 
for, even now a bigha (% of a kedara or 4 of an acre) sells at 
from Rs. 5 to Rs. 10. Price has gone up only twenty times 
after the lapse of a century and a quarter. Money has also be- 
come much cheaper now. 
eligious.—This inscription together with a few more of the 
waves of Christianity breaking upon her ancient superstruc- 
Mohan Roy was founding a new system of religious thought 
and the Christian Missionaries were making converts in number. 

