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The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c14.s3: Copper Coins of Kumaragupta I

The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c14.s3

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Copper Coins of Kumaragupta I

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As shown above, while considering the copper coinage of Kumāragupta I, we have to leave out of consideration the large number of small coins found in Kathiawar, which now undoubtedly appear as copper pieces, but which were originally silver-plated coins. Genuine copper coins of Kumāragupta are very scarce. The Indian Museum has one coin of the Altar type and the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Museum has another of the same type. The British Museum has got no copper coins. The Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay, has one coin of the Chhatra type and one of the Archer type; and the Bodleian collection has one coin of the Standing king type.

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We now proceed to describe these coins.

Class I: Chhatra Type

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¹ *J.N.S.I.*, Vol. XI. p. 56.

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This type is almost an exact copy of the class I of the copper coinage of Chandragupta II; only its legend on the reverse is in two lines instead of one. The letters *ma* and *ha* are of the eastern variety. Only one coin of this type is known so far, and it is in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay.

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(1) Copper; 1"; 84 grains; Prince of Wales Museum; *J.N.S.I.*, XI., Pl. I. 14.

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*Obv:* King, not nimbate, standing three-fourths to l., with an umbrella-bearer, blurred, behind him. The staff of the umbrella can be seen at X.

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*Rev*: In upper half, Garuḍa with outstretched wings; in the lower half legend in two lines; Ist line, *Mahārāja-śra-Kumā*, 2nd line, *ragupta*, last letter being partly visible.

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THE ARCHER TYPE¹

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¹ J.N.S.I., Vol. XI, p. 56.

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This type is known from a single specimen in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. It is considerably blurred, but the outlines show that most probably the king was holding a bow in the left hand and an arrow in the right.

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(2) Copper; .6"; 58 grains; Prince of Wales Museum. *Obv*: Blurred; king standing to l; holding bow in l. hand and arrow in r. No legend. *Rev*: In the upper half, Garuḍa, blurred; in the lower half, in one line, *Śra-Kumāragu(ptaḥ)*. (Pl. XVIII 2)

Class III: Standing King Type

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² Num. Chr., 1891, Pl. II, p. 15; B.M.C., G.D., p. 113; J.R.A.S., 1893, p. 143.

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This type is also known from a single specimen in the Bodleian collection. It was obtained by Tregear probably from Ayodhyā. The medial *ā* of *mā* is shown by a perpendicular line attached to the letter as in modern Devanāgarī.

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(3) Copper; .7"; weight not recorded; Bodleian collection; *N.C.* 1891, Pl. II. 15. *Obv*: King standing wearing waist-cloth and jewelry, left hand on hip; r. hand apparently offering oblations on an altar. *Rev*: In the upper half, Garuḍa standing facing, with outstretched wings; in the lower half, the legend, *Kumāragu[pta]*. (Pl. XVIII. 3)

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ALTAR TYPE¹

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¹ B.M.C.,G.D., Pl. XVIII, 25-26; I.M.C., I., p. 121, Pl. XVII. 2.

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Only three coins of this type are known; one in the Indian Museum, the second in St. Petersberg (Leningrad) Museum and the third was published by Smith² as a Hūṇa coin, as he wrongly read the legend as Śrī-To. The object on the obverse above the legend is described by us as an altar; but it is possible to regard it as a degraded representation of Garuḍa as well; for it also, when crude, looks like an altar. Smith thinks that the goddess on the reverse is seated cross-legged on a stool; Mr. Allan holds that she is seated on a lion couchant to r. The object is so crude and ill-defined that neither conjecture can be regarded as certain. On the coin in the Leningrad Museum the goddess seems to be holding some indistinct object in her r. hand; it may be a lotus with a stalk.

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² J.R.A.S., 1907, p. 96, No. of the plate.

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There were two Kumāraguptas, whose rule was separated from each other only by about seventeen years. It is therefore not easy to state with certainty whether the coins of this class were not issued by Kumāragupta II. In favour of the view that they are the coins of Kumāragupta I, it may be pointed out that on some gold coins of this ruler his name is abbreviated into Ku as on the present coins. Skandagupta and Narasimhagupta, who ruled between the deaths of Kumāragupta I and Kumāragupta II, did not issue any copper coins and it is very unlikely that Kumāragupta II may have, during his short and troubled reign, thought of reviving the copper coinage, which was never widely prevalent. The crudeness of the pieces need not necessarily be an argument in favour of Kumāragupta II; during the concluding years of the reign of Kumāragupta I, the empire was very rudely shaken and mints were issuing very crude silver-plated coins in Western India.

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On the other hand we to have to note that Kumāragupta II also abridged his name into a mere *Ku* on his gold coins, as we find on the disputed copper pieces. One of them was found with with Hūṇa coins in the Punjab, suggesting that the issuer may be Kumāragupta II rather than Kumāragupta I. The peculiar altar-like object appears first on the silver coins of Skandagupta and it would be but natural to presume that the copper coins which imitate it are later than that ruler; they may be, therefore, attributed to Kumāragupta II, rather than to Kumāragupta I.

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The question is, therefore, difficult to decide in the present state of our knowledge. It however appears more likely that the disputed coins are the issues of Kumāragupta I. Skandagupta’s silver coins may well have imitated the altar-like object from his predecessor’s copper type, and as the reign of Kumāragupta I was separated from that of Kumāragupta II only by 16 or 17 years, it is quite possible that some of the coins of the former may have travelled to the Punjab with he Hūṇa invaders, when they were driven back to that province by the Crown-prince Skandagupta.

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We now describe the two coins illustrated here.

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(4) Copper; ·65"; weight not known; *I.M.C.*, Pl. XVII.9. *Obv:* Within dotted border, altar above; and the legend *Śra-Ku* below. *Rev:* Goddess seated on an indistinct object, holding apparently lotus with long stalk in l. hand; an indistinct object in r.; no legend. (Pl. XVIII. 4)

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(5) Copper; ·65; weight not known, St. Petersberg (Leningrad) Museum; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. XVII. 26. *Obv:* As above, but altar truncated above. *Rev:* As above, but the object in the l. hand of the goddess is off the flan. In her r. hand she is holding apparently a lotus stalk with flower.