Abstract
The origin of Indian coinage is still shrouded in mystery. It is still a question mark
whether it was indigenous art or it was adapted from other civilizations. However, it is
clear that before the coins, the common means of payment was some kind of medium of
exchange or barter system (Brown, 1922: p.1; Gupta, 1992: p.4). To trace back that what
kind of currencies were in circulation after barter system and before Punch-marked
coins. We have to solely depend on the Vedic, Buddhist and Sanskrit literature, because
the approximate date of the Vedas and other literatures are determined. Unlike Punchmarked coins, these metallic currencies have never been reported from any site of IndoPakistan. So, to get an accurate result, we will divide these books according to their
period of composition i.e. Early Vedic period, post Vedic literatures, Buddhist accounts
and Sanskrit texts. We will respectively study the references made in these books that
what kind of medium of exchange prevailed in that time and how people carried out their
trade and commerce. Thus, we will easily determine the approximate date of any
currency or other material which was used as a medium of exchange during Vedic and
post Vedic period. We will apply this method throughout the time periods till we enter a
phase, when we have the archaeological sources to justify our claims.
IMTIAZ KHAN. (2013) Barter system, Vedic rituals and their role in the introduction of metallic currency in Indo-Pakistan, Pakistan Heritage, Volume 5, Issue 1.
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