The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c7.s1.7

c7.s1.7

Samudragupta, the son and successor of Chandragupta I, had a long reign from *c.* 330 to 370 A. D.; he is known to have issued coins in six different types. Of these the Standard type is the most common. It is a very close copy of the type current in the central Punjab under the Shāka or later Kushāṇa rulers during the 3rd century (Pl. I. 3-4) and shows the king standing left with a standard in left hand and offering sacrifice on an altar in his front by the right. The trident (*triśūla*) of the prototype is, however, replaced by *Garuḍadhvaja*, the imperial insignia of the new house (Pl. I. 14-15).