Tribal, Rajanya Janapada, (100 BC), Post-Mauryan period, Lead Fractional Unit, Obv: the goddess Lakshmi standing in the center, facing forward, holding a lotus in right hand, the Brahmi legend “(Raja)nha Janapada(sa)”, Rev: a humped Bull (Nandi) walking to left, 1.17g, 11.4mm, (Unlisted & Unpublished in Major references), choice very fine, Exceedingly Rare.

Note: This centrally struck specimen is almost complete with readable legends, and the features of Nandi and the Goddess are clearly distinguished. This has never been offered by us in the past and is probably the first time it has appeared in any auction.

The Sanskrit word ‘Rajanya’ connotes ‘a person of the Kshatriya caste or ‘Royal Personage’ in general. The word is met with for the first time in the Purusha - Sukta of the Rigveda, where, dwelling upon the fourfold division of the society, it is stated that the Brahmana sprang from the mouth of the primeval being (Purusha), the Rajanyas from his arms, the Vaisyas from his thighs and the Sudras from his feet. The word since then has constantly been in use in literature from the Rigvedic period. Rajanya was a tribe of Kshatriyas and also a Janapada as mentioned by Panini in the Mahabharata. It is believed that the Goddess Rajinidevi (depicted like a Kundaki) was the god of Rajanya Janapada of the area nearby Rajini Plateau. The coins bearing the legend “Rajana Janapadasa” (of the Rajanya tribe) are extremely rare and not more than 30 coins have been recorded in collections across the world so far.

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