The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c16.s8: (8) Prakaśaditya
The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c16.s8
- Language
- English
(8) Prakaśaditya
c16.s8.1
Coins of all the Gupta emperors, known to us from non-pumismatic sources, have been so far discussed. There is one other king Prakāśāditya, who is known only from coins and appears to have flourished in the latter half of the fifth century. We shall discuss his coins now.
c16.s8.2
King Prakāśāditya issued coins only in gold. His type is interesting and original. It shows the emperor riding a horse and attacking a lion; it may be therefore called Horseman-Lion-slayer type. It reminds one of the Rhinoceros-slayer type of Kumāragupta I, where the emperor is shown attacking the beast from the horseback. The position of the Garuḍa standard on the obverse, which is seen to right just above the horse's head, is also unusual. The king is seen sometimes stooping down to reach the lion; sometimes he is shown erect. In some cases, we can see the sword being thrust right into the gaping mouth of the lion (Pl. XV. 14). All the known coins of this type are struck to the suvarṇa standard; only one piece B.M.C., G.D. No. 556 is known to be weighing 136 grains; it may be a worn out coin. The coins of Prakāśāditya have nearly the same alloy as those of Skandagupta and Budhagupta, viz 23%.¹
c16.s8.3
¹ This was found to be the alloy in B.M.C. No. 552.
c16.s8.4
The identity of Prakāśāditya is difficult to determine at present. His coins are not found in east India. Their find-spots, Rampur, Shahajahanpur, Hardoi, Kanauj and Bharsar (in Banaras district), suggest that he was not a later emperor, whose power was confined to parts of Bengal. In the Bharasar hoard, Skandagupta and Prakāśāditya were the latest Gupta emperors; this would show that he came soon after Skandagupta, if he was not his immediate successor. The striking originality of his coin type, the place of the Garuḍa standard, the peculiar symbol on the reverse and the relative purity of the metal, all point out that Prakāśāditya has to be placed earlier than the time of Narasimhagupta, Kumāragupta II, Budhagupta and Viṣṇugupta, when the imperial Gupta coinage had come to be confined to the stereotyped Archer type and had become heavily adulterated. The central theme of the obverse device of Prakāśāditya reminds us of the Rhinoceros-slayer type of Kumāragupta I and it is very likely that the two rulers may have been close to each other in time. The feet of the goddess on the reverse of the coins of Prakāśāditya have been folded one behind the other in such a way as to present a single, horizontal pillow-like object. This peculiarity is to be seen on some coins of Skandagupta (Pl. XIV. 11) and on most of the coins of Narasimhagupta (Pl. XV. 2). Prakāśāditya therefore could not be far removed from them in time.
c16.s8.5
The cumulative effect of the above evidence seems to point to the identification of Prakāśāditya with Purugupta,¹ the brother of Skandagupta, who probably ruled between c. 467 and 468. He was sufficiently close in time to his father Kumāragupta I and could have adopted his Rhinoceros-slayer type with a slight variation. The style of the folded feet of the goddess may have been borrowed by him from the later issues of Skandagupta and the fashion may have been continued by his son Narasimhagupta. No other known Gupta king of the latter half of the fifth century is so far known not to have issued gold coinage, and it is therefore not unlikely that Prakāśāditya of gold coins may be Purugupta of the Bhitari seal.² Purugupta was ruling over an undivided Gupta empire and the coins of Prakāśāditya have been found from Rampur to Banaras. Purugupta had most probably a short reign; the coinage of Prakāśāditya is also not copious.
c16.s8.6
¹ Mr. Allan suggests this identification on p. 135 of B.M.C., G.D., but at p. ciii of his Introduction, he leaves the question open, probably because he had attributed the heavy Archer type with Vikrama on the reverse to that ruler (p. 134).
c16.s8.7
² It may be argued that the letter *ru* occurring on the obverse of his coins may suggest a late date, because it occurs on the coins of Vishnugupta, who ruled after c. 490 A.D. It is, however, not unlikely that Prakāśāditya (Purugupta) may have introduced that letter and that Vishnugupta may have copied it later. Until however we know the significance of these stray letters on the obverse, we can base no conclusions upon them.
c16.s8.8
The proposed identification of Prakāśāditya with Purugupta is only a probable theory; it may be confirmed or disproved by the discovery of fresh evidence.
c16.s8.9
The obverse circular legend on the coins of Prakāśāditya has not yet been completely read; it ended with *vijitya vasudhām divam jayati* (Pl. XXVI. 21).
c16.s8.10
General description of the type is not now necessary after the above discussion; we proceed to describe the two coins illustrated.¹
c16.s8.11
¹ See Appendix II for a third coin of this ruler with the letter *ma* under the horse.
c16.s8.12
HORSEMAN-LION-SLAYER TYPE²
c16.s8.13
(1) Gold; .8”; 145.8 grains; *I.M.C.*, I, Pl. XVI. 10. *Obv:* King to r. on horseback wearing cap, stooping down to attack with sword in r. hand, a lion, which leaps at him; lion only half on the flan; bow behind the king’s body with string over r. shoulder; Garuḍa standard above the horse’s head on the right, faintly visible on this coin. Circular legend, ...[*vijitya*] *vasudhām divam jayati*; ‘Having conquered the earth, he wins the heaven.’ Under the horse, *ru*. *Rev:* Lakshmī, nimbate, seated, facing on lotus, holding noose in r. hand and lotus in l. resting on l. knee. Symbol on l.; it is a peculiar one and occurs on the coins of no other ruler. Legend, *Śrī-Prakāśādityaḥ*. (Pl. XV. 14)
c16.s8.14
(2) Gold; .75”; 146.² grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. XXII. 3. *Obv:* As above, but the lion is more fully upon the coin and his tail, turned up, can be seen; king not stooping down. Letter below the horse is indistinct. Legend, as above. Garuḍa standard clear on the r. Rev: As above. Symbol in full; legend, Śra-Prakāśāditya. (Pl. XV. 15)
c16.s8.15
² *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. XXII. 1-6; *J.A.S.B.*, 1852, Pl. XII. 9; *J.R.A.S.*, Pl. III. 10; *I.M.C.*, I, Pl. XVI. 10.
c16.s8.16
A few rulers like Bhīmasena Harigupta, Virasena, Jaya-(nāga), Samāchāradeva, Śaśāṅka, etc., who flourished during the period, c. 525 to 650 A.D., issued gold, silver and copper coins in imitation of some of the Gupta types. There is no evidence to show that they belonged to the Imperial Gupta House; nor do we know their dynastic affiliations. It is possible that subsequent discoveries may show that a few of them belonged to some of the collateral branches of the Imperial Guptas. It will be therefore most convenient to discuss the coinage of these rulers in Appendix I of this work.