1883.] 
G. Bidie— The Pagoda or Vardha coins. 
37 
up near Tuticorin, and is now lodged in the Government Central Museum.* * * § 
We may therefore infer that Buddhism flourished over the whole of 
Southern India for about 1000 years. In the 7th century of our era it was 
on the decline, in the 8th it was rapidly disappearing and shortly after that 
it vanished from the country generally.f The causes of the extinction of 
Buddhism are not well known, but it was probably due partly to the in¬ 
crease of the Jains, and partly to Brahminical persecution and the rivalry 
of Sivaism. The specimens of Buddhist coins found in the Madras Presi¬ 
dency are made of lead, copper, silver and gold. Some of the older gold 
and silver forms are simply globules, or irregular shaped flat pieces of 
metal on which various figures have been stamped with a punch. On the 
other hand, some of the lead coins are of superior make, and bear on tbe 
obverse bold and fairly well designed figures of the elephant, lion, bull or 
horse, or of a ship. The coin No. 1 described below, belongs to a series 
older than, and which was probably the prototype of, the pagoda. In form 
it greatly resembles some of the pagodas, and its weight is so very nearly 
tbe same, that the difference may be attributed to loss by wear. 
PI. I, Fig. 1. Globular with traces of punch marks on both sides 
This coin was received years ago from the Collector of Dharwar, under the 
name of Goolrourhapagoda, probably a corruption of Gutilca, “ pilulus,” the 
ancient name of these small spherical coins. J This specimen probably 
belongs to the 1st or 2nd century of the Christian era. 
Weight 51.945 grains. 
PI. I, Fig. 2. This figure has been copied from Sir Walter Elliot’s 
“ Numismatic Gleanings,”§ as a good example of an early die-struck coin, 
and as the scroll on the reverse is of a type which is repeated on some of 
the older Hindu pagodas. It also appears in the carvings of some Madras 
temples, and not unfrequently is tacked on as the tail to a swan-like bird. 
Oh. A State chair or seat surmounted with four dots or spheres, and 
placed under the portico of a temple : above the lintel of the portico parts 
of 2 lotus flowers. 
Rev. The tail of a bird ; or arabesque of foliage according to Elliot. 
Chalukya Coins. The Chalukyas, ancient sovereigns of Oudh, in- 
' x vaded the South of India in the 4th century, and soon became the domi¬ 
nant power. Their capital was at Kalayana, in the Nizam’s territory, 
and their signet was the hoar. Their other insignia were th epeacoclc-fan, the 
anJcusha or elephant goad, the golden sceptre, Sfc. j| About the beginning 
* Dr. Burgess says it may be Jain, but it has all the appearance of Buddha. 
t “ Cave Temples of India,” p. 19. 
X Sir W. Elliot in Journal, Madras Literary Society, Yol. XX. 1858, p. 84. 
§ Journal, Madras Literary Society, Yol. XIX, 1857-58, PI. VIII, Fig, 30. 
|| “ Lice’s Gazetteer of Mysore,” Yol. I, p. 205. 
