The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c13.s8: Aśvamedha Type
The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c13.s8
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Aśvamedha Type
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Epigraphs nowhere mention any Aśvamedha sacrifice performed by Kumāragupta, but his coins show that he must have performed at least one. The specimens of the Aśvamedha type of Kumāragupta are very rare. For a long time only two were known and they were in the British Museum; one of them was procured in Mathurā and the find-spot of the other was unknown. In 1947 four specimens of this type were discovered by the present writer in the Bayana hoard and later two specimens were purchased by the Lucknow Museum and Bhārat Kalā Bhavan, Banaras, one each.
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The British Museum specimens showed the horse upon the obverse as caparisoned and not bare, as on the Aśvamedha coins of Samudragupta. But the Bayana hoard contained two coins imitating the pattern of Samudragupta. The obverse legend is not yet fully read; it appears to be in prose and seems to be ‘*Devojitaśatruḥ Kumāraguptodhirāja*’ (Pl. XXIII. 39); ‘King Kumāragupta, the supreme lord, who has conquered his enemies.’ Mr. Allan had thought that the legend included the expression *Jayati divam Kumāra*, and that the characters under the horse looked like *(a)śvamedha*.¹ The word *Kumāra*, however, appears clearly below the horse on some of the new coins in the Bayana hoard, and is followed by *guptodhirāja*; the reading suggested above, therefore, appers to be a more probable one. The reverse legend is *Śrī-aśvamedhamahendraḥ*; (Pl. XXIV. 66).
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¹ *B.M.C., G.D.*, p. cxvi; p. 68.
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Artistically the Aśvamedha coins of Kumāragupta are very much inferior to those of his illustrious grand-father. The horse on Samudragupta’s coins looks graceful and majestic; that on the coins of Kumāragupta, whether bare or caparisoned, can stand no comparison to it. The *yūpa* is crude and neither its *raśanā*¹ nor its *chashāla* can be seen. The letter *si*, which occurs below the horse on the coins of Samudragupta, is to be seen on no specimens of Kumāragupta. The figure of the queen on the reverse is stumpy, bent and fat and is thus very inferior to that of the queen on Samudragupta’s coins, where it is tall, slim and graceful.
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¹ For the meaning of these words, see *ante*, pp. 62-5.
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All the coins of this type are issued to the standard of 127 grains.
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We can distinguish two varieties in this type. In variety A the horse is caparisoned and faces right; in variety B, it is bare and faces left.
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COINS ILLUSTRATED : 4
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Variety A
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(Caparisoned horse)²
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² *B.M.C.*, *G.D.*, Pl. XII. 13-14; *J.R.A.S.*, 1888, Pl. III. 1.
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(1) Gold; .8"; 126.7 grains; *B.H.*, Pl. XXX. 9. *Obv*: Caparisoned horse standing to r. before a *yūpa*, which is off the flan, but whose pedestal is just visible; penon flies above the horse. Circular legend incomplete, beginning at IX, *Davajataśata (Devo jitaśatruḥ) Kumāra[gupto'dhirāja]* . First four letters are above the tail, separated by the penon from the last five.
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*Rev:* Within dotted border, queen standing to l., wearing *sārī* and upper garment, holding *chowrī* in r. hand over r. shoulder, l. hand hanging down, holding a small towel. In front of the queen is an ornamental *sūchi* with fillet hanging down. Legend is blurred, *Śrī-aśvamedhamahendra*. No symbol.
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(2) Gold; .8"; 127.6 grains; *B.H.*, Pl. XXX. 10.
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*Obv:* Caparisoned horse to r. as on No. 1. *Yūpa* and a part of its pedestal are partly visible. Penon flies over the horse. Blurred traces of truncated legend between IX and I, *Davajataśata Kama* (*Devo jitaśtruḥ Kumā*)[*raguptodhirājā*].
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*Rev:* Queen standing to l. as on No. 1; her l. leg is slightly bent. Legend blurred, *Śrī-aśvamedhamaha*.
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(Pl. XIII. 8)
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Variety B
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(Bare horse)
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(3) Gold; .85"; 126.7 grains; *B.H.*, Pl. XXX. 11.
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*Obv:* Bare horse, standing to l. in front of a *yūpa* on a pedestal; penon flying over it. Legend as in variety A, beginning at XI, *Dava jataśata*, under the horse *Kumāraguptadharājā*. (*Devo jitaśtruḥ Kumāraguptodhirājā*).
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*Rev:* Queen standing to l. holding a *chowrī* in r. hand over the r. shoulder and a towel in the l. hanging down. No symbol. Legend, *Śrī-aśvamedhamaha*-(*ndraḥ*).
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(Pl. XIII. 9)
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(5) Gold; .85"; 126.5 grains; *B.H.*, Pl. XXX. 12.
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*Obv:* Bare horse standing to l. as on No. 1. *Yūpa* and pedestal are more fully visible than on No, 1. Legend beginning at XII, *Dava jataśatru Ku*, under the horse, *maragupta*... (*Devo jitaśtruḥ Kumāraguptodhirājā*).
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*Rev:* Queen standing as on No. 1 above, but her features are very indistinct; towel in the l. hand looks like a rope with a loop at the end. No symbol. Legend, *Śrī-aśvamedhama[hendraḥ]*.