The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c11.s7: Standard Type

The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c11.s7

Language: English

Standard Type

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The Standard type of Chandragupta II is so far known from a single specimen, now in the Bhārata Kalā Bhavana, Banaras Hindu University. We proceed to describe it fully.

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Gold; .8"; 118 grains; Bhārata Kalā Bhavana, Banaras; *J.N.S.I.*, Vol. IX., Pl. VII. 3.

*Obv:* King nimbate, standing to l. wearing coat, trousers, earrings and nacklace, holding in l. hand a standard adorned with fillet and offering by r. hand oblations on altar in his front. Garuḍa standard behind the altar. Under king's l. arm *Chandragu(pta)*, written perpendicularly. Circular legend beginning at I, *Vasudha vijitya jayata tradava prithavaśvaraḥ*, standing for *Vasudhām vijitya jayati tridivaṃ pṛthivīśvaraḥ (puṇyaiḥ)* (Pl. XXV. 66), ‘Having conquered the globe, the lord of the earth (now) wins heaven by meritorious deeds.’

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Metre, Upagiti.

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*Rev:* Goddess, nimbate, seated on throne, facing, holding noose in outstretched r. hand and cornucopiæ in in the l., resting on thigh. On the r. the legend, *Paramabhāgavata*. Symbol probably beaten out later by hammering. There is a hammering mark in the upper left quadrant and the coin has also suffered from a scissor cut extending from II, right up to its centre.

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Mr. P.L. Gupta, who published the coin, attributed it to Chandragupta II.¹ Later on Dr. Chhabra advanced the theory that the coin should be assigned to Chandragupta I.² His main arguments are the following:—

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¹ *J.N.S.I.*, IX., p. 146, Pl. VII. 3.

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² Ibid, XI., pp. 15ff.

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1. The legend on this coin either on the obverse or on the reverse, has not got the distinctive epithet *Vikrama*. On all the coins of Chandragupta II, this epithet occurs either alone or in conjunction with some other word like *Ajita* or *Simha*.

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2. Chandragupta II is not known to have issued any coins of the Standard type. The type was discontinued after the regin of Samudragupta, and it is therefore better to assume that the present coin was issued by Chandragupta I.

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3. Chandragupta I may have issued some coins in the Standard type after the death of his consort Kumāradevī, when the King and the Queen type could no longer be continued with propriety.

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4. All Gupta emperors were devotees of Vishnu. It is therefore not at all impossible that Chandragupta I also may have taken the title *Paramabhāgavata*. In fact the Gayā and Nālandā copper-plates of Samudragupta do describe him as *Paramabhāgavata*; and it is quite possible that his father too may have taken that epithet.

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The above arguments are, however, not convincing. As to No. 1, it may be pointed out that on one variety of the Archer type of Chandragupta II, the title *Vikrama* does not occur either on the obverse or on the reverse (*ante*, p. 101, Pl. V. 7); the same is the case with one coin of the Lion-slayer type of this emperor where the reverse legend in *Simhachandraḥ*, (*ante*, p. 118 Pl. VII. 4).

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As to argument No. 2, it may be pointed out that on the King-and-the-Queen-on-the-Couch type, issued by Chandragupta II, which we have just described (p. 141, Pl. IX. 6), the king on the obverse does carry a standard in his left hand; so we cannot maintain that the Standard type was altogether tabooed by Chandragupta II.

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Arguments No. 3 and 4 do make out a plausible case in favour of attributing the present coin to Chandragupta I. There is nothing improbable in Chandragupta I, who was a Vaishṇava, having taken the title *Paramabhāgavata*. The Standard type was so popular with the numismatic tradition as developed under the later Kushāṇas, that we find it to be the predominating type with Samudragupta. If we assume that Kumāradevī predeceased her husband, it is difficult to believe that Chandragupta may not have issued some coins in the Standard type, which was then so popular.

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The point however can be finally settled when we get more historical and numismatic evidence to decide it. For the present, I am inclined to attribute this unique coin to Chandragupta II rather than to Chandragupta I. There is no definite independent evidence yet forthcoming that the title *Paramabhāgavata* was actually adopted by any predecessor of Chandragupta II; the Gayā and Nālandā plates are forgeries and it is well-known how forgers often transfer the epithets and titles of one king to another. In the Allahabad pillar inscription Samudragupta is not described as *Paramabhāgavata*. There is no evidence yet forthcoming to show that Kumāradevī had predeceased her husband, rendering the abandonment of the King-and-the-Queen type a practical proposition for Chandragupta I. Chandragupta II did issue some coins where the Standard type was continued, as is shown by the King-and-the-Queen-on-the-Couch type. It is therefore quite likely that he may have for some time given a trial to the Standard type, so popular with his father, before deciding to discontinue it.

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STANDARD TYPE OF CHANDRAGUPTA

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(Issued by a Scythian feudatory ?)¹

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¹ J.R.A.S., 1893, p. 145; see also J.N.S.I., IX. pp. 149-50.

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In 1890 Rodgers had sent a coin in pale gold to V.A. Smith, whose description was noted by him as follows:—

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Pale gold; 118.75 grains; size not noted; condition good; purchased for Rs. 16.

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*Obv:* King standing to l., casting incense on altar; trident with fillet on stem above altar; king's left arm raised and passed through the loop of spear. Legend arranged vertically; under the arm *Chandra* perpendicularly, and outside spear (?), *gupta* perpendicularly. But of this latter word only the character *p* seemed distinct. Rodgers was inclined to read the word *Shāka*.

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*Rev:* Throned goddess, carrying cornucopiæ; her body attenuated and wasp-like. No legend.

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It is most unfortunate that this coin should not have been illustrated. It appears to have been similar to a coin of Samudragupta, which we have discussed before at p. 52, (Pl. II. 11). The coin was obtained by Rodgers at Haripura in the Punjab, and bears a striking resemblance to the Shāka and Shilada, coins described earlier by us at pp. 36-7, (Pl. I. 3, 5). If the description of the coin as noted by Smith is correct, we can explain the coin as an issue of a later Kushāṇa feudatory of the Gupta emperor ruling near Haripura, and issuing coins in the name of his feudal lord Chandragupta. This coin will then tend to show that Chandragupta II had a sufficiently effective control over the Scythian rulers of the Punjab and that some of them continued to issue coins in the name of their feudal lord, as had been done by earlier rulers in the reign of Samudragupta.

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Unfortunately the photograph of this coin has not been published and Smith and Rodgers, who were both experienced numismatists, differ in their readings. Smith thought that outside the spear there was *gupta*, though he could be sure only of the letter *p*. Rodgers thought that there the legend was *Shāka*. Both however, agreed that under the arm of the king was written *Chandra*.

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While conceding the possibility,--as I have already done above,--of some petty Scythian ruler of the Punjab having issued coins in the name of his feudal lord, Chandragupta II, I cannot exclude the chance of Smith and Rodgers having mistaken a coin of Bhadra for that of Chandragupta. I am reproducing a coin of this type (Pl. I. 5). Under the arm of the king, the legend is Bhadra. But the top line of dra joins together the two lower limbs of bha and the letter can easily be mistaken for Cha. Instead of Bhadra, one can therefore easily mistake the legend for Cha(m)dra. On the coin illuatrated, outside the standard, there is an enigmatic Brāhmī legend, which has been read as Shilada by Cunningham. But la and da are so joined together on the present coin that the lower letter does look like a pta, as Smith had thought. The upper letter does look like a sha and ka joined together, and if the coin of Rodgers had not the lower letter fully preserved, as is evident from Smith saying that only a trace of p could be seen, it is quite easy to understand how Rodgers took the legend to be Shāka. On the whole I am inclined to think that the unpublished coin of Rodgers was most probably a coin of Bhadra, similar to but not so well preserved as the coin illustrated by us (Pl. 1.5).

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We now proceed to describe this coin.

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Gold; .8"; weight not recorded; C.L.I.S., Pl. II. 12. Obv: King with coat, trousers and peaked cap standing to 1. and offering oblations on an alter. Triśūla in his front. Under the arm, Bhadra, but as the serif of dra touches both the lower limbs of bha, the letter looks like cha, the legend appearing as Chandra. Outside the Standard Shilada, but the lower letter looks like pta as taken by Smith and the upper one like shaka as supposed by Rodgers. Rev: Goddess seated on throne, legend illegible. (Pl. I. 5)