The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c19.142

c19.142

There are several silver coins of this ruler with defectively engraved legends, or with incomplete legends. They show readings like *rajadhaśra-Kumara*, *jadharaśra-Kumara*, *rajadharaśra-Kumara*, *jadhaśra-Kumara*, *jaśra-Kumara*, etc.¹ In the the last mentioned defective legend occurring on B. M. No. 384, *śra* is preceded by a superfluous *ma*; on the present coin also *śra* is seen preceded by a superfluous letter. It is true that this letter looks like a usual *pa*. But square-base forms of *ma* do occur on the silver coins of Kumāragupta I; see Pl. XVI. 8. at I. I therefore think that on our coin the legend here is *śrama-Kugupta*.