April — SEPT. 1858.] Numismatic Gleanings. 87 



The average weight of twelve of the oldest specimens of the 

 varaha and its prototypes in my cabinet, and ranging from grs. 

 53*27 to grs. 66*9, is grs. 58*05. Discarding the fraction, the weight 

 of the pun, honna, or pratdpa as it is also called and mdda, the 

 equivalent term in Telugu, would then be grs. 29. 



The d'harana 14.5* 



chavala 7*25 



dugala , 3*625- 



beda (which is the Telugu name of the coin 



representing the gunja ox rati). 1*8125 



These results tally approximately with some of the smaller spe- 

 cimens in my collection. Two small pieces from Tanjore, belong- 

 ing to the Chola. series, to be described in No. III., which I sup- 

 pose to be chavalas, weigh grs. 7*6 and 7*65 respectively, and a 

 third struck by a Pandyan prince, grs. 7*225. Two still smaller 

 and therefore assumed to be dugalas, also from Tanjore and ap- 

 parently belonging likewise to the Chola series, weigh grs. 3*525 

 and 3*45. But on the other hand the gold fanams described in 

 No. I.f though of equal or perhaps higher antiquity, do not exceed 

 grs. 6*8 and some are as low as grs. 5*45, and the smaller ones 

 grs. 3, whilst those figured in PI. 1 with the present No. are a 

 trifle short of 7 grs. 



There is no doubt that the earliest coins were merely re- 

 presentatives of pre-existing weights in use at the time when 

 a stamped currency was introduced. The foundation of most 

 of these systems was the gunja or raktika or more commonly 

 rati, the seed of a plantj growing in every part of India. It is 

 still in general use among native goldsmiths and varies consider- 

 ably in size and weight. The discrepancies in the weights of the 

 early coins that have come down to us may be owing, in some de- 



* This it will be observed is nearly the weight of the masha which, derived 

 from a seed of Phaseolus radiatus, serves as oi.e of the units of Indian metro- 

 logy. Jervis (1829) followed by Prinsep (1834) assumes the goldsmiths or bullion 

 mash to be grs. 15*5 and from it deduces the proportions of all the other denomi- 

 nations <>f the system, according to which the gunja or rati will be grs. 1 9375, 

 the chavile 7*75 and the varaha 62. Jervis, weights of Konkan, p. 4U ; Pr. XL 

 T. p. 17. 



f Vol III. p. 236-7. 

 X Abrus precatorius. 



