Connected Worlds: The Rashtrakutas and their Coinage
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16 Apr
2019
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Indian Aesthetics
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Shailendra Bhandare
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The Rashtrakutas emerged as the pre-eminent power in 8th – 10th centuries and dominated the so-called “Age of the Three Empires” in Early Medieval India. They influenced the political scene, were patrons to great temples like Ellora and facilitated a new wave of trade and commerce with the World of Islam which now commanded the regions across the Arabian Sea.
Given historical wisdom dictates there were no Rashtrakuta coins! This view was articulated by Marxist historians like R S Sharma. However, in recent times this widely held belief has come under very close scrutiny. Coins that can be attributed to the Rashtrakutas have come to light - they throw a very different and welcome light not only on prevalent theories of how the Early Medieval period in India should be viewed and studied, but also provide an interesting and textured context of India’s connections with the wider world through maritime and commercial links. The lecture will unravel some such closely held notions with the help of data which has not been published elsewhere in its appropriate context.
Duration -
April 16, 2019
Timing: 6:30 pm
Registrations Closed
Shailendra Bhandare
Shailendra (Shailen) Bhandare is a numismatist, museum curator and historian. He has worked at some of World's leading museums like the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; The British Museum, London and currently, the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. He was born and brought up in Mumbai where he received his first degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He holds a Master’s degree in History and a Doctorate in Ancient Indian Culture awarded by the University of Mumbai.
Shailen's research contributions extensively span time and space, with the most recent being on the discovery of Indian iconic sculpture and a Sanskrit inscription in Egypt and materialities of exchange in the Indian Ocean World. His most recent edited volume was “Odyssey of the Rupee”, published to mark a landmark exhibition celebrating 75th anniversary of independent India’s rupee coinage, curated by Shailen and held at Sarmaya Foundation, Mumbai.