Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The pieces of evidence of different forms of Shiva are found in the engraved coins of Ujjaini that date back to being 2500-year-old. It is the classics of the glory of Lord Shiva that even the foreigners who invaded and ruled Ujjaini had to engrave some form of Shiva on the coins along with providing themselves with a title especially related to Shiva. Foreign rulers who marked Ujjain as their dominion had to accept the rule of Mahakaleshwar and kept their titles as Rudra Daman, Rudra Sen and Rudra Singh.
The sculpture found on the coins of Ujjaini is similar to the one found on the stamps of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. A coin that was minted in Ujjaini had engravings of a huge Shivlinga installed on the square ëpaad peethí in the middle of the Vedic trees accompanied by a Swastik sign. In the Indus valley civilisation, a talisman having an engraving of the yogic pose of Shiva was found. It had four snakes sitting on the knees of Lord Shiva. These symbols provide shreds of evidence of the advancement of sculptural art and denote that Lord Shiva has been worshipped from time immemorial.
About 2,100-year-old currency during the times of King Vikramaditya depicting Shiv Utsav celebrations. | FPJ
When the moulding of coins started 2300 years ago in Ujjaini, many forms and symbols of Shiva were made which included Shiva as the Supreme Judge, Uma Maheshwar, Shiv bearing Dand and Kamandal, Shiva incarnating Ganga, Shiva performing Tandav Nritya, Shiva with Nandi, Rudra form of Shiva, Chaturmukh Shiva, Trimukh Shiva, Mahakal form of Shiva can be found in both round and square currencies of that time. In some currencies Shiva could be seen carrying Dand, Surya Dand and Sarp (snake) Dand.
In the olden times, every city had an establishment of the guardian God. Similarly, the guardian god of Ujjaini was Lord Mahakal. In the coins, Mahakal is seen carrying a Dand (Kaal Dand). Yamraj is also an incarnation of Lord Mahakal so he is also known as the Lord of Destruction. The armament (weapon) of Lord Shiva is known by the name of Dand but some intellectuals consider it a form of Shakti. Among these coins, some have inscriptions of Vedic trees along with rivers filled with water, tortoise and fish and beside the river, Shiva could be seen standing. The river here could be identified as the river Kshipra of Ujjain by the intellectuals.
A wonderful illustration of the ëKalyan Sundarí form of Shiva described in the Puranas is found on ancient coins and sculptures. In this, God Shiva and Goddess Parvati can be seen standing at the coast of a river holding hands with a Swastik made on the upper side of the coin. In this extraordinary coin, goddess Parvati could be seen standing on the right side.
According to the Indian marriage tradition, the woman stands on the right side of the man before marriage and after 'Saptpadi' or marriage she stands on the left side of her husband. On this currency, the scene depicted shows that Shiva and Parvati are on their way to the marriage ceremony which is also known as the Kalyan Sundar Roop In Ujjain, the occasion of Shivratri (Shivivah) is celebrated in a grand manner. The scene of God Shiva and Goddess Parvati decorated with beautiful ornaments and clothes on the occasion of Mahashivratri captivates the viewer. By tying this rare occasion to the coins, the then artist and rulers have inscribed the miraculous event eternally on the coins for the general public which is astonishing, beautiful and exciting evidence of the development of sculptural art.
In some coins, the Rudra form of Shiva can be witnessed. In these coins one can see the anger on the face of Shiva depicted by big eyes, tongue hanging out of the mouth and anger on the face. On the back side of these coins, the distinguishing sign of Ujjain can be seen where a river is engraved on it. On some coins, Shiva can be seen doing the Tandav Nritya in which he is moving his feet with the rhythm inscribed in a physically artistic manner. These currencies present the scene of tandava nritya in front of the eyes.
Ganga is seen rising and Shiva is looking towards the sky as if he is very eager to contain Goddess Ganga in his hair. On one hand, there is a dand and on the other, he is carrying a kamandal. This mudra is also known as Jata Mukut mudra. On Nag Panchami in Ujjain, a special temple has been built on top of the Mahakal temple, which is also called the temple of Nagchandreshwar Mahadev, which is open for darshan only once a year. In order to make the memory of this occasion permanent, Mahakal has been engraved on the coins thousands of years old, even with Nagpasha and Nagdand in the hand of Shiva. In these astonishing postures, Lord Shiva is seen holding a beautiful serpent in his hand.
Similarly, when the influence of the Naga rulers became big in this area, then the marking of Nandi is also found on the snake coins obtained from there. These Naga rulers were the followers of the Shaivaite religion. He used to call himself Param Shaiva. They got their names written on coins in which Bhava Nag, Prabhakar Nag, Nav Nag and Ganapati Nag are prominent. We also find bearish markings on Ujjain coins in independent forms. In Indian religious tradition, devotees going to the Shiva temple used to convey their words by saying in the ear of Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva. Thus, Nandi also has great importance in Shaivism.
Many such statues are also found in which devotees are depicted making various efforts to please Nandi. The fruit and sweets have been engraved by persuasion to please Nandi. Exactly the same type of marking is also found on coins, in which different types of fruits, leaves, and trees have been made in front of Nandi.† On the coins of the Parmar rulers, the words Jai Omkar and Shrihar have been written in Nagari and Brahmi text. The marking of Trishul is also found on coins. Bilva Patra and Shivlinga are found on the coins of the Holkar state which shows the faith of Holkar Maharani Ahilyabai in Shaivism. Thus, we see that many experiments have been done on coins to depict the importance of Mahakal in Ujjain from time immemorial till date, which is an important link in the development of sculpture.
The writer is chairman of Ashwini Research Institute, Mahidpur
Name of Raja Vikramaditya engraved on the seal which is stated to be about 2,100 years old. | FPJ
