The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c6.33

c6.33

This reconstruction of history, though plausible, is by no means free from difficulty. The gold coinage of Kumāragupta II is more numerous than that of any successor of Skandagupta. This circumstance renders it extremely improbable¹ that his reign should have lasted only for three or four years and should have terminated with the accession of Budhagupta in 476 A. D. We further have definite evidence to show that Kumāragupta’s son Viṣṇugupta also ascended the imperial throne and assumed the title *Mahārājādhirāja*. It therefore appears most plausible to assume that Kumāragupta’s reign did not terminate with the accession of Budhagupta in 476 A. D. Very probably some kind of understanding was arrived at between the uncle and the nephew; Budhagupta, who was the more powerful among the two, got the lion’s share of the old Gupta empire, his nephew Kumāragupta II remaining content with a small kingdom probably somewhere in southeastern Bengal, where his coins are found in large quantity.