The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c18.s8: Jaya[nāga] Prakāṇdayaśas

The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c18.s8

Language: English

Jaya[nāga] Prakāṇdayaśas

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Jaya(nāga) Prakāṇdayaśas is known to us from some gold and gold-plated coins found in Bengal. The full personal name of this ruler is not yet definitely known. Allan had first thought that it might have ended with *gupta*;¹ later on he suggested that the full name might have been Jayanāga and thought that the issuer of the coins was identical with Mahārājādhirāja-paramabhāgavata-śrī-Jayanāgadeva, the donor of the Vappaghoshavaṭa charter, issued from Karṇasuvarṇa, located probably in Murshidabad district.² This view seems most probable.

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¹ *B.M.C., G.D.*, p. 150.

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² *E.I.*, XVIII, p. 63.

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Jayagupta of the copper coin, discussed above (p. 322), is different from this ruler; the earlier tripartite form of *ya* occurs on the coins of the former; whereas the later bipartite form of that letter is used both on the coins of Jayanāga, as also in his Vappaghoshavaṭa plate.

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The palæography of his coins suggests that Jayanāga should be placed between *c.* 550 and 650 A.D. The *Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa* states that the son of Śaśāṅka had a short reign of eight months and five days and was succeeded by a king named Nāga. It is quite probable that this Nāga is identical with Jayanāga; if so, his time may be *c.* 640 to 650 A.D. The reverse of Jayanāga’s coins would support this view. The goddess on his coins folds her feet in the same manner that is to be seen on some coins of Śaśāṅka; (*cf.* Pl. XIXA. 11 with Pl. XIXA. 10); there also occurs the motif of her bath by an elephant, as we see it on most of the coins of Śaśāṅka. Numismatic evidence would thus support the view of Jayanāga being a successor of Śaśāṅka.

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Since Jayanāga takes the title of Mahārājādhirāja in his copper plate, we may well presume that he was a ruler of some consequence; he had some feudatories ruling under him as shown by his charter. He may, therefore, well have thought of issuing gold coins. He was a *paramabhāgavata* or Vaishṇava and, therefore, naturally discontinued the obverse of Śaśāṅka’s coinage, which showed Śiva standing by the Bull; he replaced it by the well-established Archer type. The reverse is a close copy of Śaśāṅka’s coins.

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The weight of Jayanāga’s coins varies from 132 to 139 grains. They are heavily adulterated; one of his coins in British Museum, No. 614, which was tested, had only 34% of gold.

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The coinage of Jayanāga is a close copy of the well-known Archer type of the Gupta dynasty. The obverse shows the king usually standing to *l.* but sometimes facing also, and holding bow and arrow, while the reverse has Lakshmī seated on lotus receiving ablution from an elephant on *l.* The long legend on *r.* probably left no room to show an elephant on *r.* also, as is to be seen on the coins of Śaśāṅka. His *biruda*, however, does not end with *Āditya*; it is *Prakāṇḍayasāḥ*, ‘of wide fame.’ His coinage replaces Garuḍa standard by the Chakra standard, which had made its appearance on the coinage of Kācha (Pl. IV. 1) and on one variety of the Archer type of Chandragupta II (Pl. V. 2). *Chakradhvaja* is quite appropriate for a Vaishṇava.

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We shall now describe two of his coins.

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(1) Gold; .8"; 131.8 grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. XXIV. 6. *Obv:* King, nimbate, standing to l., holding bow in l. hand and arrow in r. Chakra-standard behind the king's r. hand. Legend *Jaya* under the king's left arm. No traces of any circular legend. *Rev:* Goddess Lakshmī, nimbate, seated facing on lotus, holding lotus in l. hand and fillet in r. hand outstretched; faint traces of an elephant on l. sprinkling the goddess. Legend on r. *Śra(i)prakāṇḍayaśa*. (Pl. XIXA. 11)

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(2) Gold; .8"; 139 grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. XXIV. 7. *Obv:* As above, but king stands facing. The staff of *Chakra* standard is worked on lathe. *Rev:* As above, but the legend is fragmentary. Only faint traces of the elephant on l. (Pl. XIXA. 12)

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(3) Gold-plated copper; .8"; 117.8 grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. XXIV. 8. *Obv:* As above. *Rev:* Elephant on l. quite distinct. Legend obliterated. (Pl. XIXA. 13)

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In the Nālandā excavation of 1935-36, a clay mould was discovered, showing the motif of the obverse of the coins of Jaya(nāga). The external diameter of the mould is 1 1/8" and the internal diameter is .75". The name of the king is written under the left arm as Jaya; the *ya* is bipartite as on the coins of this ruler. The figure of the king is similar to that on Pl. XIXA. 11. In front of the king we have the *Chakradhvaja* and not *Garudadhvaja*. The form of *ya* and the presence of *Chakradhvaja* make it almost certain that the king Jaya(nāga) of the coins is identical with Jaya(nāga) of the clay mould. Unfortunately the mould of the reverse has not been found and so we do not know whether the king had the *biruda* of *Prakāndayaśah*.

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Jayanāga was a Vaishnava, as pointed out already. It would appear that he was also connected with Nālandā and he might have sent an officer of his to the University with authority to issue gold coins from earthen moulds in order to donate them to the establishment. For the time being this is a mere conjecture.

Linked texts (1)

Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa — Sanskrit