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Æ Unit - Mithuna Post Mauryan Ujjain
| Issuer | Ujjain region (Malwa Plateau) |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 100 BC |
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| Composition | Copper |
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| Obverse description | Mithuna (loving couple) depicted in relief: a standing female figure to the left, bare-breasted and facing right, joined in an embracing gesture with a standing male figure to the right. The two figures clasp hands at center, rendered in the bold, archaic style characteristic of post-Mauryan punch-marked and cast coinage. A river symbol or wavy line device appears in the lower field beneath the figures, likely representing a sacred river such as the Shipra. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Post-Mauryan Ujjain occupied a critical node on the overland trade routes connecting the Gangetic plain to the western ports, and the city's mint output during this period reflects a local authority filling the administrative vacuum left by Mauryan collapse. The mithuna motif — an amorous couple — carried deep roots in the symbolic vocabulary of the subcontinent long before it became iconic in temple sculpture, appearing on punch-marked and cast coinages of the region as early as the third century BC.
Pieper 692 is among the more precisely documented types in this notoriously difficult series, where attribution often hinges on minor symbol combinations rather than inscriptions, which are absent entirely.