The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c19.90

c19.90

These letters can supply a meaning only if we insert suitable medial vowels, which are often not engraved in Gupta legends. I take the legend to be a quartrain in the Drutavilambita metre and would read it as *Rathimatho’tirathapravaraḥ kshitau* ‘(King Chandragupta) who is pre-eminent (*pravaraḥ*) on the earth among unrivalled chariot-warriors (*atirathaḥ*), is the destroyer of chariot-warriors (*rathimathaḥ*). *Atiratha* is a common word in Sanskrit for an unrivalled chariot warrior; we have similar words like *mahāratha*, *ekaratha*, etc. *Rathimathaḥ* is rather an unusual combination, but I do not know what other restoration can be suggested out of the four indisputable letters *rathamatha*. *Rathimathaḥ* can be understood as *rathinaḥ mathnāti asau rathimathaḥ*, “one who destroys chariot-warriors.” The medial *i* mark of *thi* is fairly clear on the plate.