1897.] Dr. Hoernle — Report on old coins. ** 



The gold coins are small round pieces of gold, very thin, 

 averaging only 8 grains, and about 3/8 of an inch in diameter. Eighteen 

 of them have small gold loops attached to them, by which they 

 were found threaded on a piece of string, forming probably a necklet. 

 There are two kinds, consisting of two and eighteen pieces respec- 

 tively. 



The former are stamped on one side only, the back showing the 

 hollows of the obverse stamp. One specimen shows the figure of the 

 anthropoid Garuda, turned to the left, the other a rosette ; both devices 

 are enclosed by a marginal circle of dots. Possibly the two devices 

 represent the obverse and reverse sides of a coin, and the two sides may 

 have been stamped separately on two distinct pieces of gold to form 

 ornaments. 



Of the other kind, 18 pieces, all show on the obverse the figure 

 of a recumbent bull, with a variety of emblems, such as the conch-shell, 

 svastika, etc. The reverse of one has the legend (above) grigaga in old 

 Nagari characters, and (below) the number 44 between two strokes 

 (|cc|). The remaining seventeen pieces, show (above) an irregular 

 oblong quadrangle between two indistinct symbols, and (below) various 

 numbers, viz.^ 4 (twice), 9 (thrice), 13 (once), 19 (once), 31 (six times), 

 33 (thrice), 34 (once). Two of these 18, again, show traces of a 

 legend above the oblong, which appear to make up grl-gaga. The 

 numbers would seem to point to a series of years ; but whether of an 

 era or of the reign of a king is unknown. No coins of this des- 

 cription appear to have been noticed or published hitherto. In the 

 International Numismata OrientaHa, Vol. 1, " Coins of Southern India,'* 

 by Sir Walter Elliot, there is one coin, No. 93 on Plate III, 

 which bears some resemblance to the present coins, but it is too 

 imperfect for identification. It is ascribed by him to the old Hindu 

 kingdom of the Kakatiyas of Warangal, which was conquered by the 

 Bahmani Sultans, early in the 15th century, A.D. 



(II) Report on two gold coins forwarded by the Officiating Superin- 

 tendent of the Tributary Mahals, Orissa, with his No. 1164 P.W., dated 

 16th November, and 10th December, 1896. 



These two coins are stated to have been found " on the banks of 

 the river Brahmini in the Tributary State of Dhenkanal," and to be 

 " locally called Boons." 



They are coins of exactly the same type as those recently found in 

 the Angul District of Orissa, and described in the preceding Report. 

 They bear on their reverse the numbers 3 and 34 respectively, which 

 may be the years of either a reign or an era. 



