The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c11.s9: Silver Coins
The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c11.s9
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Silver Coins
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Coins and coin-types in ancient India were to a great extent regional. Provinces which were accustomed to gold, silver or copper currency had to be supplied with the coins of the usual metal and type by the conqueror. When Mālwa, Gujarāt and Kathiāwār were annexed to the Gupta empire by Chandragupta II, he found that his new subjects were accustomed to the use of small silver hemi-drachms. Eventually he had to decide to issue a silver currency of his own, more or less similar to that popularised in Western India by the Kshatrapas, whom he had overthrown. The precise date of the conquest of Mālwa, Gujarāt and Kathiāwār by Chandragupta II is not yet known, but it seem to have been effected late in his reign. At any rate the silver coinage seems to have been sanctioned and introduced towards the end of his long reign. His silver coins are relatively very rare and the earliest date recorded on them seems to be 90 G. E. or 409 A.D. The silver coins are usually found only in Western India, showing thereby that Chandragupta had no idea to introduce the white currency in his home provinces. A silver coin of Chandragupta is no doubt known to have been found at Sultanganj in Bihar. But it was found along with a silver coin of Rudrasena III,¹ whom Chandragupta had overthrown; it is very probable that both these coins may have been brought as mementoes by a Bihārī captain, who had accompanied the expeditionary force in Western India. The silver coin of Chandragupta that Cunningham had acquired at Ayodhyā² was also most probably an imported piece.
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¹ C.A.S.R., X, p. 127; J.R.A.S., 1889, p. 122.
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² C.M.I., p. 20.
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Silver coins of Chandragupta (Pl. XVI. 3-6) are, as was but natural, a fairly close copy of the Kshatrapa silver issues current in Western India; they are illustrated on Pl. XVI. 1-2. Their size, which varies from .5" to .55" and their weight which is usually between 26.5 and 31 grains, closely correspond with those of the coins of the later Kshatrapas. On the obverse the king's bust is closely modelled on that of the Kshatrapa prototype, having a collar, a prominent nose, and long hair and moustaches. The traces of the corrupt Greek legend are allowed to continue (Pl. XVI. 6). The date, when given, is engraved behind the king's head as on the Kshatrapa coins (Pl. XVI. 2); only the Saka era is replaced by the Gupta one.¹
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¹ Smith and Fleet had doubted the existence of any date on this variety; J.R.A.S., 1889 pp. 122-3; I.A., 1885, p. 66. But the date 90 can be clearly read on Pl. XVI. 3.
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On the reverse the wavy line at the bottom and the crescent and the cluster of dots at the top are allowed to continue, but the three-arched hill in the centre is replaced by Garuḍa, which was the imperial insignia of the Guptas. The view of the earlier writers like Thomas and Smith² that the bird is a peacock is clearly untenable, as will be shown by a comparison of this bird with the undoubted Garuḍa figuring on the Garuḍadhvaja of gold coins and the Garuḍa on the copper coins of Chandragupta II (cf. Pl. XVI. 8-10).
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² J.R.A.S., 1889, p. 120.
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Garuḍa remained the device of one class of the silver currency of Western India down to the reign of Skandagupta. Garuḍa on the silver coins is thereomorphic and not therianthropic; it has not got a human face with the bird-body, as is the case on some copper coins of Chandragupta II (Pl. XVI. 8); it has an entire bird body.
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The reverse of the silver coins of Chandragupta II has a circular legend, as is the case with the coins of the Kshatrapas. It naturally suppresses the name of the king and the family of the defeated dynasty and proclaims to the new subjects of the conqueror his name, imperial titles and family name or religious persuasion.
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Silver coins of Chandragupta II are divided into two classes. In class I, the legend ends with *Vikramāditya* and mentions the religious persuasion and not the family name of the issuer—*Paramabhāgavata-mahārājādhirāja-śrī-Chandragupta-Vikramāditya* (Pl. XXV. 5). ‘Chandragupta Vikramāditya, king of kings, and a devotee of Vishnu.’ This legend is closely similar to that on the Horseman type of the emperor, where only the last word of the above legend is omitted. In class II, the legend ends with *Vikramāṅka* and gives the family name and not the religious persuasion of the issuer—*Śrī-Guptakulasya mahārājādhirāja-śrī-Chandragupta-Vikramāṅkasya* (Pl. XXV. 6). ‘The coin of Chandragupta Vikramāṅka, king of kings, of the Gupta family.’ Which of the two classes is earlier cannot be determined; both may have been contemporary issues as well, one being probably from a mint in Gujarāt and the other from another in Kathiāwār. Coins of both the classes are rare, those of class II being extremely scarce.
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Prinsep refers to a drawing he had received from Mr. Tregear of Jaunpur of a small silver coin having a head on one side and a bird with outstretched wings on the other with a clear legend below reading *Chandragupta*.¹ Smith, however, seems to be correct in his conjecture that the word silver in the above note of Prinsep is most probably a mistake for copper;² for the description accurately suits copper coins like those in B.M.C., G.D., Pl. XI. 11-14 or in our Pl. XVI. 15-17. It is very unlikely that Chandragupta II had issued any silver coins in this third variety.
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¹ Prinsep's Essays, Vol. I. p. 281, n. 2.
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² J.R.A.S., 1893, p. 132.
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We now proceed to describe the coins. We first take up the two coins of Rudrasena III (348-378 A.D.), which are being illustrated to give an idea of the Kshatrapa prototype.
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COINS OF RUDRASENA III
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(1) Silver; .6", 31.6 grains; *B.M.C.*, *A.W.K.*, Pl. XVII. 841.
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*Obv:* Bust of the king to r., collar at the neck blurred; hair falling on the neck and moustaches down from the upper lip. Traces of Greek letters in front of the king's face, and date behind, 200, 80, 2.
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*Rev:* Three arched hill above a wavy line, crescent on l. and a cluster of dots on r. Circular legend beginning at IV, (restored) *Rājño mahākshatrapasvāmī-Rudradāmaputrasa rājño mahākshatrapasa svāmī Rudrasenasa*. (Pl. XVI. 1)
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(2) Silver; .55"; 33.¹ grains; *B. M. C.*, *A. W. K.*, Pl. XVII. 845.
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*Obv:* As above. The collar is clearer. Very few traces of Greek letters. Date 200, 80, 3.
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*Rev:* As above, but the legend is more blurred. (Pl. XVI. 2)
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COINS ILLUSTRATED : 5
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CLASS I
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(Legend beginning with *Paramabhāgavata*)¹
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¹ *B.M.C.*, *G.D.*, Pl. X. 15-20; *J.R.A.S.*, 1889, Pl. IV. 1; *C.A.S.R.*, IX, p. 23, Pl. V. 2-3; *C.M.I.*, Pl. II. 9.
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(1) Silver; .6"; 31 grains; *B.M.C.*, *G.D.*, Pl. X. 15.
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*Obv:* Bust of the king to r. truncated on r.; long hair falling on the neck. Date behind the head, *Va(rshe)* 90 (+x ?).
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*Rev:* In the centre, Garuda with outstretched wings; above on the r. a cluster of seven dots. Circular legend, beginning at III, *Parama(bhāgavatamaḥ)rājādhirāja-Śri-Chandragupta-Vikramāditya*. Portions within the bracket are blurred. The letter *gu* is without its left limb. (Pl. XVI. 3)
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² The letter *ndra* is defectively engraved and looks like *kra*, hence Newton, who first published the coins of this class, read the king's name as Vakragupta. *J.B.B.R.A.S.*, Vol. VII.
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*Obv:* As above; moustaches prominent; collar distinct; traces of Greek letters in front of the face. *Rev:* As above. Legend is very distinct (from IX to III), *dharajaśra-Chandragupta-vakra*. (Pl. XVI. 4)
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(3) Silver; .55"; 30 grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. X. 17. *Obv:* As above, but forehead and nose off the flan. Behind the head, the letter *va*, an abbreviation for *varshe*. *Rev:* Legend, from III, *Parama.....,* from V *harajadharajaśra-Chandragupta-vakramadatya*. (Pl. XVI. 5)
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(4) Silver; .6"; 29 grains; *C.M.I.*, Pl. II. 9. *Obv:* As above, Greek letters before king's face; collar prominent; as also moustaches. *Rev:* Legend on the left quite distinct, *jadhara-śra-Chandragupta-vakra*. (Pl. XVI. 6)
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CLASS II
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(With the legend beginning with *Śrī-Guptakulasya*)¹
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¹ *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. X, 21; *C.A.S.R.*, Vol. IX, p. 23, Pl. V, 1. Coins of this class in good condition have not been published. At both the places above mentioned, the legend cannot be read in the photographs of the coins. The finer specimen in Dr. Hoey's collection has not been published.
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(5) Silver; .5"; 30.8 grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. X. 21. *Obv:* As on class I. *Rev:* As on class I, but the legend is intended to be *Śrī-Guptakulasya mahārājādhirāja-śrī-Chandragupta-vikramāṅk*²*asya*. (Pl. XVI. 7)
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² Earlier writers had read this letter as *rka*; but it is more likely that it is *ṅka*; *rka* and *ṅka* were very similar to each other at this period. The published facsimilies of this type are, however, too faint to check the reading.