10,000 yuan Reward for Decipher of Ancient Indian Gold Coins

　　The file photo shows the head of the gold coin. [Photo: Xinhua]

Authorities in the province of Hunan are offering 10,000 yuan (US$1,534) for anyone who can decipher the inscriptions on the back of six gold coins from ancient India.

With a diameter of roughly 25mm, the coins are thought to have been minted during the period of the Delhi Sultanates, who reined in north India from 1206 to 1526.

The heads of the coins are inscribed with the Monarchy title. However, the opposite sides of the coins have yet to be decoded. The language on both sides is believed to be a form of Arabic.

Found in a small, white-glazed jar, the gold coins unearthed at a local farm in Henan in the 1960s.

They are now housed in the local museum in the city of Jinshi, Hunan.