Literary evidence for use of particulate silver as money and currency material in India

Abstract

The literary evidence for the use of particulate silver as money and currency material in India is reported. It has been shown that the Sanskrit name of the particulate silver currency-unit Cūrnī (i.e. made up with powdered or particulate material) was in use in some parts of India during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AD. The possible reasons for using particulate silver as money and currency material, together with methods of its manufacture, are discussed.