Ancient Mauryan Coin from India

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In commemoration of the Holi festival this week, the next coin is from India. Chandragupta Maurya established the Mauryan Empire in the Magadha region of India shortly after the death of Alexander the Great. By then, coins from Persia and the Greeks had been traded with peoples in the Indian subcontinent for centuries. India hadn't been united by previous empires in the way Chandragupta did so, and the empire he established lasted until 185 BCE. It was around this time that the Mahabharata was written. The Bhagavad Gita is a part of that, often attributed to the sage Vyasa. Other sages wrote other works and by the 4th century CE, there were more verses and stories in other works, which had gained enough of a following the a festival of colors began to evolve, which we now call Holi. Holi is in celebration of the divine love between the god Radha and Krishna. The gods were not new in this time. The initial Vedics date back as far as 1,500 BCE, which are estimated to be based on oral histories from hundreds of years before that. The Vedas do not mention Krishna or Radha, though. Krishna was first mentioned as far back as the 6th century CE. But times of solidified empires, who are capable of striking their own coins, are times when new festivals are often created, venerated, and survive. Radha was first mentioned in the Gatha Saptasati, written in the first century CE. Festivals to commemorate the spring and renewal are found in every culture. Christians commemorate Easter, which the Council of Nicaea defined in 325AD as the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. Before that was Ostara, named for the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre. The Jewish Esther is celebrated for Purim, which was March 6-7 this year. The Greeks called it Pascha, the Romans and Italians Pasqua, the Danes Paaske, and French Paques. The Germans are closer to the Saxons with Ostern, so named for the goddess Ostara. Holi is sometimes called the festival of colors, and other regions bring bright colors into their own traditions as well - like painting eggs. The Persians celebrated Nowruz, or "New Day" - still celebrated in Iran. Muslims in general celebrate Ramadan, also in March. The Thais celebrate Songkran. The Japanese celebrate the Cherry Blossom Festival, or Hanami. Latin America celebrates Semana Santa, or Holy Week - but in Aztec times, thousands of people visited the Pyramid of the Sun for the Spring Equinox. The Inca and pre-Columbian cultures had similar celebrations as well. Even Robert Frost celebrated the coming of spring with his verse "natures first green is gold." One thing I like about Holi over most of the others is that it isn't just about harvests and colors. Holi can be used to signify love, forgiveness, and borrowed from some of the pre-Hindu uses that involved demons, the triumph of good over evil. Because in nearly every religion, love and forgiveness are good qualities that help society. So happy spring, everyone - wherever you may be. Much love. PS - Print these in the most ridiculously bright colors before you toss them into the fire!