Menander was an Indo-Greek King, who ruled in northwestern India during the Mid-2nd century BCE. King Menander is the most famous of the Indo-Greek Kings,for a number of reasons, although the exact date of his reign and realm cannot be determined yet. The most significant reason Menander is so well-known is his patronage of Buddhism, which has been recorded in the various Buddhist religious books. One such famous book is Milindapanha, which is actually a conversation between King Menander and the Buddhist sage Nagasena about different philosophical problems. Apart from the literary sources, Menander is also famous for his coins which are found in large numbers in various parts of northern and western India.
Menander was quite popular among his subjects, according to the accounts of several contemporary chroniclers, including Plutarch. His reign saw the growing trade between India and Europe via the western Asia. In order to facilitate commerce, Menander issued a large number of coins. These coins were struck in the well established Indo-Greek fashion, with elaborate details. Menander was also influenced by the Indian tradition and included the Indian cultural and social elements in his coins. The silver coins of Menander were known as Drachms.
The coins of Menander carried legends in both Greek and Kharosthi. The legends on his coins read the following: ‘Maharaja Tratarasa Menadrasa’. The earlier silver coins of Menander carried a portrait of Goddess Athena on the obverse and the figure of an owl on the reverse.
In the later issues of Menander, the coins also carried the portrait of the King on the obverse. The reverse of these later coins had the image of Goddess Athena Alkidemos throwing a thunderbolt. After this, Athena Alkidemos became the royal standard emblem of several other Indo-Greek Kings and rulers.
These above mentioned silver coins of Menander were very light weight, ranging from a little more than 1 gram to a little less than 2.5 gram.
Another series of Menander’s coins were struck in Attic weight standard, carrying the portrait of King Menander wearing a helmet and depicting him as throwing a spear in the obverse. The reverse had the portrait of Goddess Athena. The legend of these coins read ‘Of King Menander, the Saviour’. These coins weighed 13.03 gram each. These coins were probably special issues, marking some significant event during the King’s reign; however, with the amount of information that we have now, it is not possible to determine the exact reasons or events that led to the issuing of these coins.
There is also a number of bronze coins of Menander which have been recovered. These Bronze coins were of relatively inferior value, but they are important for a different reason; they carry the images of several deities from both the Greek and the Indian pantheons.
The coins of Menander are a rich source of Indian socio-economic as well as political history. The number of Menander’s coins found was greater than any other Indo-Greek rulers. They have been found in widely varied geographical regions such as modern day Afghanistan, Indian state of Kashmir, Punjab, and Gujarat. Even centuries after the end of Menander’s reign, his coins were in much use among the traders of Gujarat. This is evident from the narrative of the ancient text, ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’, where it is stated that Menander's coins were largely used in the trading activities by the traders coming from different regions in the great port of Barigaza, situated in the Gujarat coast.
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