The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c7.s1.13

c7.s1.13

The goddess seated on a high-backed throne is the most common motif on the reverse of the coins of Samudragupta; it occurs on the Standard and Archer types; it is borrowed from the Kushāṇa prototype (Pl. I. 3-4). Efforts were made to Indianise the type by showing the goddess using a lotus as her foot-stool in the Battle-axe type (Pl. III. 1-2). We find her seated on a wicker stool on the Lyrist type (Pl. III. 15-17). In the Tiger-slayer type, we find her standing on a makara or crocodile (Pl. III. 13-14), and the idea probably was to identify her with the Gaṅgā. The reverse of the Aśvamedha type shows Dattadevī, the crowned queen, with a fly-whisk over her shoulder, ready to attend upon the horse which was to be sacrificed (Pl. III. 6-8).