The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c12: Chapter VII: The Coinage of Rāmagupta
The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c12
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Chapter VII: The Coinage of Rāmagupta
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(As pointed out already (p. *ante*, p. 4) literary tradition asserts that Chandragupta II had an elder brother named Rāmagupta, who ruled for a short time before him.¹ This ruler, however, is not mentioned in official Gupta inscriptions, nor are any gold coins yet found issued by him. Some scholars therefore doubt his historical existence.²)
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¹ Altekar in *J.B.B.R.S.*, XIV, 223 ff; Mirashi in *I.H.Q.* X. 48 ff.
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² Raychoudhury, *Political History of Ancient India*, (4th Ed.), p. 465.
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Recently, however, ten small copper coins have been found in Mālwā, which clearly bear the legend Rāmagupta or Rāma upon them.³ Six of these were purchased by Mr. P. L. Gupta from a dealer, who obtained them at Bhilsā in Mālwā and four belong to the cabinet of the late Mr. N. R. Advani of Indore, also collected in the same province. It is possible to maintain that these coins represent the copper currency of the elder brother of Chandragupta, who bore that name and therefore they are included in the present work in a separate chapter.
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From chronological considerations this chapter should have preceded chapter VI on the coins of Chandragupta II; but we have put it here, as it is more convenient to discuss the copper currency of Rāmagupta after one's acquaintance with the copper coins of Chandragupta II.
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We first describe these coins:
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(1) Copper; .45"; 31.³ grains; P. L. Gupta Collection; *J.N.S.I.*, XII. Pl. XI. 1. *Obv:* Animal (Lion ?), quite blurred. *Rev:* Crescent above; legend below, occupying two third area of the coin, *Rāmagupta*. First two letters are quite clear in the plate, the last two in the original.
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³ P. L. Gupta was the first to discover and publish these coins in *J.N.S.I.*, Vol. XII., pp. 103-8; later Dr. H. V. Trivedi published the coins in the Advani collection in *J.N.S.I.*, XIII, p. 128.
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(2) Copper; oval .5"x4"; 18.7 grains; P. L. Gupta Collection; *J.N.S.I.*, XII. Pl. IX. 2. *Obv:* Animal blurred. *Rev:* Legend in lower half, *Rāma(gupta)*. (Pl. XVI. 21)
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In their type, fabric, size and weight, the coins of Rāmagupta bear a striking resemblance to the small currency in copper, popularised in Mālwā by the Mālavas and the Nāgas. They are quite small in size; they follow a similar weight system, and their shape is roughly circular or oval, as is the case with some types of the copper coins issued by the Mālavas and the Nāgas. On the Mālava coins issued by Mapaya and Magojava, the obverse is entirely covered by the legend and the reverse has the device of a lion, as is the case with the coins of Rāmagupta, which we are discussing here. Some of them are round in shape and some irregular; see *I.M.C.*, Vol. I, Pl. XXI. 1-4. The legend on these Mālava coins is written in a straight line, as is the case with the coins of Rāmagupta. The resemblance of the coins of Rāmagupta with the Nāga currency is not so close. The size and weight system are also the same, but the animal on the Nāga coins is usually the Bull and not the Lion. The legend is generally circular and rarely in a straight line.
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The coins of Rāmagupta were examined by a number of scholars at Nagpur in 1950 at the time of the Numismatic Conference, and they agreed that the legend was clearly Rāmagupta or Rāmaguta. The reading of the legend is also clear on two of the coins in the collection of Mr. Advani.¹ There is no doubt that the issuer was Rāmagupta. As gold coins of Rāmagupta have not been found in any Gupta hoard, including the Bayana hoard, where all kings from Chandragupta I to Skandagupta are represented, it is possible to argue that Rāmagupta of the copper coins may be a local ruler in Mālwā. Copper coinage was not introduced before the time of Chandragupta II and it may therefore well be doubted whether Rāmagupta had really taken the trouble of issuing it during his short and troubled reign.
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¹ Mr. K. D. Bajpeyi, M. A., Curator, Archaeological Museum, Mathura, has reported to me on 4-12-1954 the discovery of another copper coin of Rāmagupta at Talbhat, about 35 miles south of Jhansi. The etter on this coin are said to be *magupta*.
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It is, however, possible to argue that the currency in India was largely local; Chandragupta II was compelled to issue silver currency for his subjects in Mālwā, closely resembling that of the Western Kshatrapas. It is similarly possible that when Samudragupta conquered Eastern Mālwā, he might have started copper currency similar in type and character to the Mālava and Nāga coinage that was then current there; Rāmagupta may have continued it. Mālwā has not been properly explored for Gupta coins and we may find copper coins of Samudragupta as well in that province. We are so far aware of no other Rāmagupta than the elder brother of Chandragupta II and the palæography of the coins shows that they belonged to the Gupta period. We can, therefore, identify Rāmagupta of these copper coins with the elder brother of Chandragupta II mentioned in the *Devī-Chandraguptam*. It is true that we have not got any gold coins of Rāmagupta, but it is possible that we may get them in future. Budhagupta, who had ruled for about twenty years, was for a long time known only from his silver coinage. Even now only two of his gold coins have come to light.
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We shall, however, have to suspend our final judgment till the discovery of more decisive evidence.
Linked texts (1)
- Devīcandragupta — Viśākhadatta, Sanskrit