The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c7.s1.8

c7.s1.8

An attempt to Indianise this type is to be seen in the Archer and Battle-axe types, which were issued later in the reign. Hindu etiquette did not approve of a king becoming his own standard-bearer. The presence of the *Garuḍadhvaja* in front of the king also rendered a banner in his left hand superfluous. It was therefore replaced by a bow and the right hand was shown as holding an arrow instead of throwing incense; the result was the Archer type (Pl. II. 12-14), which remained very popular till the end of the dynasty. In the Battle-axe type (Pl. III. 1-5), the standard was replaced by the battle-axe. This type also shows a dwarf attendant standing before the king, completely accoutred on some specimens. The type appears to be showing His Majesty reviewing the progress of a battle from a point of vantage and receiving a report from or issuing instructions to a soldier arriving from the battle-field with the latest news.