The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c18.s7.1

c18.s7.1

Śaśāṅka, who ruled in Gauḍa in the first quarter of the 7th century, was a rival and opponent of the Maukharis of Kanauj and Harshavardhana of Thaneshvar. Apparently he issued coins only in gold; at any rate his coins in silver and copper have not so far been found. His gold coins also are of a varying degree of purity; in some, the gold contents are about 58% (*e.g.* B.M. No. 608); in others they are very much less. Some of his coins are in copper plated with gold (*e.g.* B.M. Nos. 610 and 611). Majority of his coins are issued to the *suvarṇa* standard of 80 *rattis* or about 144 grains; a few however weigh only 85 grains and are probably of the half *śatamāna* denomination. Smaller coins, however, have a much lesser dross, though they are rougher in execution. They have a border of big dots both on the obverse and the reverse; this is absent on the bigger coins. The goddess on the reverse has lotus in each hand, but no elephants to give her ablution.