Coins Of The Malavas Of Rajasthan - Book Summary

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This excerpt from "Coins of the Malavas of Rajasthan" by Kalyankumar Das Gupta introduces the Malava tribe and their significant contribution to ancient Indian numismatics.

Origins and Migration:

The Malavas are identified with the Malloi of classical accounts, known for their fierce resistance to Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE.
Initially, they resided in the Central Punjab, between the Chenab and Ravi rivers, a region still bearing their name in the "Malwa" district and the dialect "Malawai."
They subsequently migrated to Rajasthan, likely due to pressure from Greek invasions under rulers like Demetrius, Apollodotus, and Menander.
Their presence in Rajasthan is evidenced by the "Malavagana vishaya" mentioned in a 3rd-century record, encompassing parts of southeastern Rajasthan (Udaipur, Jaipur, Tonk, and Ajmer districts).
Later, they occupied a region in Central India that became known as Malava. In the early medieval period, Malwa referred to the area between the Gangetic Valley and the Vindhyan mountains, and Bundelkhand and the Aravalli range.

Coinage of the Malavas:

The Malavas are credited with issuing extensive coinage, being one of the few tribal peoples of ancient India to do so.
Over 6,000 Malava coins have been recovered, primarily from eastern and southeastern Rajasthan, with significant findspots at Karkotanagar (Nagar) and Rairh.
Some Malava coins are remarkably small, with one weighing just 1.7 grains and measuring 0.5 inches in diameter, considered one of the smallest in the world.
The majority of coins bear the tribal name, such as "Jaya Malavana" or "Jayah Malavānām" (meaning "Victory of the Malavas").
A peculiar characteristic of some coins is the inscription of legends like "Bhapamyana," "Mapojaya," and "Magajaśa."
A lead seal found at Rairh bears the legend "Malavajanapadasa," similar to "Sibijanapadasa" on coins of the Sibi tribe, another Rajasthani group.

Characteristics of Malava Coins:

Malava coins are generally round, but rectangular pieces are also found.
Devices and symbols include a human bust (a feature also found on Satrapal coins), a squatting male figure, a bull, a peacock, a lotus flower, a pinnate palm leaf, a vase (with or without foliage), an undulating line (prominent on Rairh specimens), and the "cross and ball" or Ujjain symbol.
The date range for Malava coinage is estimated between the 2nd century BCE and the 4th century CE.

Debate on Enigmatic Legends:

The interpretation of the peculiar legends found on some Malava coins has been a subject of scholarly debate.
R. C. Douglass suggested "Malaya" as the earliest form of the tribal name, found on some coins. He also considered "Wiala" as a possible king's name.
The common legends "Malavānām jayah" and "Malavaganasya jayah" are clear in their meaning of tribal victory.
However, legends like "Bhapamyana," "Gajuva," "Gojaua," "Magajaśa," "Mapojaya," and "Maraja" have puzzled scholars.
Early Theories:
- Carlleyle believed these legends represented the names of approximately forty Malava chiefs.
- Smith, while agreeing they could be names, suggested a foreign origin, which Allan contested due to the lack of resemblance to Saka or Huna names and the absence of genitive case markers.
Allan's View: Allan proposed that these legends were "meaningless attempts to reproduce parts of Malavānām jaya," explaining the frequency of "ma" at the beginning and within the inscriptions.
Indian Scholarly Interpretations:
- Jayaswal suggested these were abbreviations of personal names, with "ma" standing for "Mahārāja" (e.g., "Mapojaya" as "Mahārāja Paya").
- Bhandarkar refined this, proposing "ma" as an abbreviation of "Malava" and other letters representing words like "gana" and "jaya" (e.g., "Magaja" as "Malava-ganasya jaya").
Critique of Interpretations:
- Allan criticized Jayaswal's view for not yielding intelligible names and the lack of numismatic precedent for such contractions.
- The author acknowledges the plausibility of contractions due to the small size of the coins but notes that Allan's critique has some validity as the proposed abbreviations don't fully explain all letters.
Counter-Arguments to Allan:
- The author questions how "meaningless attempts" could be so systematically made by mint-masters.
- Crucially, a coin in the Indian Museum bears both the tribal name "Malava" and the legend "Mājupa," directly linking the enigmatic legend to the tribe and refuting Allan's "meaningless attempt" theory.
Revisiting the Chiefs' Names Theory: The author reverts to the suggestion that these legends represent names of Malava chiefs, differing from Smith by not assuming a foreign origin. While the names sound non-Indian, this is not sufficient proof of foreign extraction.
Non-Aryan Origin Hypothesis: The possibility of these names belonging to a non-Aryan stock is considered, citing analogous non-Sanskritic names found on other Indian coins (e.g., from Taxila) and in Indian literature (e.g., Magasa, Mankana, Majjala).
Comparison with Ujjayini/Vidisha Coins: The author references recent discoveries of coins at Ujjayini and Vidisha with legends like "Hamugama" and "Valaka," attributed by K. D. Bajpai to Saka chiefs. However, the author disputes Bajpai's theory of Saka domination in Malwa in the 2nd century BCE due to a lack of evidence.
Genitive Suffix Absence: The absence of the genitive suffix in personal names on coins is noted as a common feature in both Malava and Naga coinages, thus not a strong argument against the legends being personal names.
Chronological Consideration: The author emphasizes the need to avoid oversimplifying the chronology of Malava coins, as some are earlier than others, meaning not all enigmatic legends can be assigned to a single period like the 3rd-4th century CE.
Conclusion on Enigmatic Legends: Coins bearing legends like "Bhapanyana," "Mapojaya," and "Magaja" should be attributed to Malava chiefs. Some, like those with "Yama," can be placed in pre-Christian centuries, while others like "Magojava" might belong to the 3rd-4th centuries CE.