City State of Kurapurika (200 BC), Narmada Valley, Kamshya or Bell metal coin called as Kamshika, Obv: Tiger moving to right, tree railing in front, an uncertain symbol at the back (boat?), Brahmi legend below “Kurapu(ri)kasa”, Rev: Ujjaini symbol in the circle, taurines from four sides (partly visible), 5.9g, 23.63mm, (P. P. Kulkarni, Coins of Kurapurika, a forgotten City State of Narmada Valley, Journal of Academy of Indian Numismatics and Sigillography. Vol. XIX-XX. Indore, 2005, PP. 21-27), choice extremely fine, Extremely Rare.

Purika was a well-known city in the Avanti area during the ancient times around 200 BC. It was situated on the banks of the river Narmada near the city of Mahismati. Kurapurika was a Purika of the ancient times. According to Fleet, Purika was located to the south of the island of Mahismati (Mandhata in the Khandwa district) on the Narmada. The discovery of the coins of another city state of Madhya Pradesh prompted the discovery of the location of Purika as well. They issued both inscribed and uninscribed coins. The inscribed coins bear the Brahmi legend ‘Kurapurika’. The boat symbol is quite often seen on the coins of the Kurapurika and also on the coins of Ujjain. Kurapurika civic coins have also been reported from eastern Malwa but the exact location of Kurapurika remains uncertain and trade activities might have brought these coins to the Eran-Vidisha region.Prashant. P. Kulkarni has published a very useful survey of the civic issues from the Narmada valley in ICS-NL 37, pp.3-21 (‘New discoveries in coins from Narmada valley: geographical and historical implications’). He reports a large number of coins of Kurara, Bhagila, Mahismati and at least one Kurapurika coin to have been found at Nadner, i.e. ancient Nandinagara. Other Kurapurika coins however came from the Mahismati region on the banks of the Narmada and that is where Kulkarni sees the origin of the Kurapurika series, the ancient site of Purika near Omkareshwar. A decade ago a small hoard surfaced from an unknown river in a village in Rajasthan and the coins offered here are from the same hoard. Refer to Coins of Kurapurika, a forgotten City State of Narmada Valley, Journal of Academy of Indian Numismatics and Sigillography. Vol. XIX-XX, Indore, 2005 by Prashant P Kulkarni.