1902.] Annnal Eeport. 31 



coins. The writer examines all the devices found on these 

 and attempts to give them their proper attribution. Errors had accu- 

 mulated as regards the identification of these various devices for more 

 than eighty years. The errors were made by distinguished men engaged 

 in the pioneer work of finding, classifying, figuring and so on. A vast 

 number of coins have now been collected in different museums and 

 private coin-cabinets and it is now time that a systematic survey should 

 be made of the vast accumulation of materials. Mr. Theobald took 

 upon himself this arduous work and the Indian numismatists will 

 remain ever indebted to him for the thorough manner in which he has 

 performed it. He has rejected many symbols as wrong identifications ; 

 he has improved upon many attributions ; he has given a better classifi- 

 cation ; and has placed great importance on the geographical distribution 

 of coins ; as, for example, a symbol identified with the deer has been proved 

 to stand for a buffalo. A tree on a coin from Shaharanpore was regarded 

 as pipal, but in that part of the country pipal trees are a rarity, and so it 

 should be Himalayan cedar — so fine, so striking, and so magnificent a tree. 

 From the indices appended to his papers it will be seen how fertile the 

 Indians were in their inventions about these devices. They have pressed 

 Trees, flowers, fruits, animals, birds, shell-fish, in fact, ever3rthing under 

 the sky, into their service, and it is no wonder that eminent men were 

 mistaken as to their identification. The future numismatist will find 

 this work much easier. Thanks to Mr. Theobold. 



The Sunga or Mitra dynasty succeeded the Mauryas in the Empire 

 of Northern India about the year 180 B.C. The Sunga coins are very 

 rare. Colonel C. E. Shepherd had found two coins of this dynasty. But 

 they belong to two kings of the dynasty not known before, named Dhruva 

 Mitra and Rudra Gupta. This is a real gain to our knowledge of the 

 Sunga dynasty the kings of which played an important part in North India 

 at a time when the G-reeks were establishing themselves in the Panjab. 



In a previous paper Mr. Hoey identified Sewan, a station in the 

 Saran district, with the famous Ku^inara, the place of Buddha's death. 

 In a supplement to that note of his published during the year under 

 review, the writer contends that the Titaria Stupa between the Daha 

 and Sondi Rivers is no other than the Stupa mentioned by Hwen Thsang 

 as built for the purpose of commemorating the bird which plunged into 

 the water and flying up shook its wings to extinguish a forest fire. 

 This bird-stupa stood near the vihara, in which was the figure repre- 

 senting the Nirvana with the adjacent stupa and a pillar bearing a 

 note to the fact. So he thinks that the great Nirvana Stiipa should 

 be somewhere near the Titaria Stupa. He thinks he has also found the 

 stupa commemrating the pious deeds of Drona nientioned in Buddhist 



