The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c10.28

c10.28

If we accept the first view that Kācha was not a Gupta ruler at all, but a king of a different dynasty who had temporarily eclipsed the Gupta power after the death of Chandragupta I, we can well understand why his coins should be found in close association with those of Chandragupta I and Samudragupta in Gupta hoards and why they should bear a close resemblance to the Standard type of the latter. The non-occurrance of his name in the Gupta genealogies need cause us no surprise for he did not belong to that dynasty at all. This theory is quite a plausible one, for the Allahabad inscription of Samudrgupta (v. 5) does refer to a sanguinary war that had occurred soon after his accession. One, however, finds it difficult to believe that the Gupta power was so completely eclipsed after the death of Chandragupta I as to render the gold coinage of the interloper possible.