Karshapana Ancient Central Malwa

Vidisha — modern Besnagar in Madhya Pradesh — was among the most commercially active cities of the Sunga period, positioned at the confluence of the Betwa and Bes rivers and serving a trade corridor that linked the Gangetic plains to the Deccan. City-issue copper coinage of this type circulated locally and regionally, distinct from the punch-marked silver karshapanas of imperial issue. The punch symbols on Vidisha municipal copper have been catalogued as a distinct regional group, with combinations specific enough to confirm civic rather than royal authority behind the striking.