Brief by Shorts91 NewsDesk / 09:01am on 22 Aug 2025,Friday India
India’s top archaeologist BR Mani has revealed that gold coins called Nishka were used during the Harappan and Rig Vedic periods nearly 3,000 years before the Kushan dynasty. Once mistaken for ornamental beads, these perforated gold discs were found at sites like Mohenjodaro, Lothal, Rakhigarhi, and Mandi. Mani’s lecture at Delhi’s National Museum, attended by top scholars, highlighted their use as currency, trade assets, ritual offerings, and status symbols. Textual references in Rig Veda, Panini’s works, and Jataka tales support this claim. The discovery challenges long-held beliefs and reshapes our understanding of ancient Indian economy, metallurgy, and cultural sophistication. (PC: India Today)
