NASHIK: India has a glorious tradition of 2500 years. We have seen the diverse culture of that time as well as the rivers and rich heritage from the rare coins of the contemporaries’ rulers, thus expressed Chetan Rajapurkar, an ancient coin collector and researcher.
He was speaking on the topic ‘Rivers in Ancient Coins’ at the Godavari River Festival jointly organized by District Collector’s Office, Archaeological Department, and Nashik History Research Board. Dr. Dilip Belsekar, Director, Darshanika Vibhag, Government of Maharashtra, was in the chair. Coin expert Anna Bhargave was present as the Chief Guest.
Rajapurkar further said that ‘river culture’ is a word we hear many times. Does river really have a culture? Yes, every river indeed has its own culture. He also said that ancient coins were considered a major tool in historical research because it was possible to study culture.
Each river has a different culture around it. The rivers Girna and the Godavari are very close, but the cultures of both are different. Each river indeed enriches human life, and hence, the river is considered as the symbol of ‘Sujalam Sufalam’.
From ancient times the river has been given a special place in every religious ritual. In every religious ritual, the mantra is recited. The combination of the river and the religious sentiments of the people of that time has shown that the river has a profound effect on every human being.
The rulers of ancient times, realizing the importance of the river, placed the river on their coins as a symbol of ‘Sujalam Sufalam’ and, seeing the need for river conservation, inscribed the symbol of the river deity on the coins and added religiosity to it. Rajapurkar also clarified that the coin was brought into circulation by using the symbol of river deity on the coins.
