Correct Option: C

Metal currency was minted in India well before the Mauryan empire (322–185 BC). The first Indian coins were minted around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanapadas of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The coins of this period were punch marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana. Early coins of India (400 BC— 100 A.D.) were made of silver and copper, and bore animal and plant symbols on them.