This coin was dug up in the Indian village of Janta, and it is said to originate from the time of Alexander The Great.

 It is illustrated with a lion and Brahmi lettering imprinted on one side and a royal seal imprinted on the other.

The story behind this historic coin is not so glamorous, but it does reflect the way people used to live in villages thousands of years ago. 

Archaeologists found this coin while carrying out some building work.

 It appears that the village was abandoned after Alexander’s army arrived in India. 

The village foundries were used to mint this coin. It is thought to have been minted in the 4th century BC by a ruler of a small state called ‘Ancinet’.

 It is a silver obverse and a gold reverse with the image of a lion and Brahmi letters on one side and an Indus Valley seal on the other.

 The inscription reads, “Anciet king with men, cattle and money”.

In Janta village in Kutch district, there are many stories about the role of Alexander in bringing peace to India.

 It is said that after Alexander’s invasion, many powerful warring states surrendered without fighting back. 

Janta’s history books also assert that the place where this coin was found is called ‘Ain Pankh’ in Kutch.

 ‘Pankh’ is an ancient Pashto word meaning “council”. The coins of ancient India usually had lots of inscriptions too. 

There were many coins that had the designs of deer, elephants, monkeys and even lions in them, but in Indian coins lions are never seen. 

The strange thing about the coin is that the king on it looks very similar to Alexander himself!

In the ancient days, when a village was set up, it had a number of workshops where jewellery was made and also coins and seals were minted. 

This coin is very similar to the coins of the particular period. 

The place where this coin was found belonged to Janta village of Kutch which had a lot of forts and gardens.

 It was established in the 9th century AD. 

After this village came under continuous attack from Muslims invaders such as Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1658–1707), 

it eventually fell into ruins and disappeared without leaving any trace behind.

In this age of terrorism, many people know about India’s rich past which is full of great kings, kingship and culture. 

Many people also believe that it is the land of milk and honey which is full of wonders, beauty and riches.

 So if this coin can depict the king who was not only powerful but brave as well then what would be the image behind this coin?

The coin which is imprinted with Brahmi letters on one side has an image of ‘Lion’ on the other side. 

Lions are considered sacred by Hindus because it represents bravery, courage and honour to them. 

Kings usually used this as their symbol. Alexander the Great was the bravest king of all times; 

this is why he is named as ‘The Lion King’. The story of how he was born is also very interesting and unique: 

His father Philip II of Macedon had a dream. 

In his dream, he saw himself lying with a lion and that his wife that time was pregnant and had given birth to a child. 

When Alexander grew up, his teacher Aristotle (384–322 BC) told him about his father’s dream. 

He believed it totally since it was from God. Alexander had many wars where many of his soldiers were killed by King Darius of Persia. 

Alexander also had a lot of courage to fight in this war. It is because of this bravery that he was named as ‘The Lion King’. 

It is because of his bravery and courage that he conquered many lands from Greece to India and from Egypt to Turkey.

In the ancient days, people used to think that when a child grew up well it was the result of the blessing by King Solomon.

 In modern times, people believe in doctors, medicines and hospitals even though in ancient times, 

people believed in God’s blessings only. We have learnt a lot from ancient wisdom, culture and heritage. 

Summary:The name ‘Lions’ comes from Alexander The Great who is called as

 ‘The Lion King’. Alexander conquered the whole world from the Hellespont to Egypt.

 It is because of his bravery and courage that he conquered many lands from Greece to India and from Egypt to Turkey. 

He was also called ‘The Lion King’. curious coins

This coin was found in India during Alexander’s invasion, this coin itself belongs to ancient India. 

There are many coins which can be discovered in various places belonging to various locations of ancient India. 

This coin is the only one that has an imprinted image of ‘LION’ on it.