The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c16.s1: (1) Purugupta
The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c16.s1
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(1) Purugupta
c16.s1.1
Skandagupta had a brother named Purugupta, but it is not yet certain as to when he ruled. Purugupta is known to us from the seals of his descendants Kumāragupta II¹ and Viṣṇugupta.² These seals, while giving the genealogy, refer to Kumāragupta I and then immediately pass on to Purugupta as a *Mahārājādhirāja*, omitting his brother Skandagupta altogether. Owing to the absence of conclusive evidence, it is possible to argue that (1) Purugupta of the Bhitari and Nālandā seals is identical with Skandagupta, or (2) that he is his half-borther, who unsuccessfully contested his succession in *c.* 455 A. D., or (3) that he succeeded Skandagupta after his death, the latter having no son of his own. It is not possible for us to discuss these different theories in this work; nor is it necessry to do so. It is very unlikely that Skandagupta and Purugupta could have been identical; why should the name Purugupta occur only on seals and not in any of the inscriptions ? Since Purugupta is expressly described as *Mahārājādhirāja* in two seals, he may be presumed to have ruled after the death of Skandagupta for the short period of a year or two during *c.* 468-9 A.D. He is not likely to have contested Skandagupta’s succession. The question we have to consider now is whether he had issued any coins.
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¹ *J.A.S.B.*, 1889 pp. 84-105.
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² *E.I.*, XXVI., p. 235.
c16.s1.4
Till quite recently it was generally held that Purugupta had issued gold coins of the Archer type assuming the *biruda* Vikrama. One variety of these coins had no distinctive name of the emperor on the obverse, the reverse giving only the legend *Śrīvikrama*. On a solitary coin of the other variety, however, along with the legend *Śrīvikrama* on the reverse, there was a name under the king's left arm. This name was read as *Pura* by Mr. Allan¹ and it was therefore assumed that all heavy weight coins with the *biruda* *Śrīvikrama* were the issues of Purugupta.
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¹ B.M.C., G.D., p. 134.
c16.s1.6
Mr. S.K. Saraswati was the first to challenge the correctness of the reading *Pura*, proposed by Mr. Allan. He maintained that the perpendicular legend under the left arm read as *Budha* and therefore the coin should be ascribed to Budhagupta.²
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² *Indian Culture*, Vol. I. p. 692.
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For a long time, the question could not be settled with certainty. For, on the solitary coin known till 1948 the first letter could be read both as *pu* or *bu*.³ The second letter could be taken as a slightly misshapen *dha* or a blurred *ra*, the flan having moved during the striking. In 1948, however, two new coins of this type were found, where the reading of the obverse legend under the arm was clearly *Budha*, and the reverse legend was *Śrīvikrama*. It thus became quite clear that the king, who issued these coins, was Budhagupta and not Purugupta. It is also very probable that the heavy weight Archer type coins, having the legend *Śrīvikrama* on the reverse, were also the issues of the same emperor. We have therefore to conclude that Purugupta was different from Skandagupta and ruled as a *Mahārājādhirāja* after his reign, and that gold coins bearing his personal name have not yet seen the light of the day. It is however likely that the coins with *biruda* *Prakāśāditya* may have been issued by him. We shall discuss this point later.
c16.s1.9
³ If the letter is taken to have a top *mātrā*, it can be read as *pu*; if the top *mātrā* is regarded as a part of the letter, it can be read as *bu*.