The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c9.s1: Standard Type

The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c9.s1

Language: English

c9.s1.t1 Class I — 36 parts
c9.s1.t2 Class II — 4 parts
c9.s1.t3 Class III — 11 parts

Standard Type

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The Standard type is the most popular type of Samudragupta, as will be seen by a glance at the published catalogues of the Gupta coins of most museums. The Bayana hoard had 183 coins of Samudragupta, of which as many as 136 belonged to the Standard type. The British Museum has 17 coins of this type, the Indian Museum 19, the State Museum Lucknow 29 and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 10.

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Coins of this type have been found all over the Gupta empire from Saharanpur to Calcutta. They vary in size from .75" to .9" and in weight from 104.5 grains to 122. Some of the weights like 104.5 are abnormal. It appears that the coins of this type were normally issued to three weight standards, 115, 118 and 121 grains; see Chap. XIIB.

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In this type, we have on the obverse the king standing to 1., holding a standard in the left hand and offering oblation by the right. There is a Garuḍa standard in his front. On the reverse we have a goddess seated on a throne, holding cornucopiæ in left hand and noose in the right.

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The designation of this type is not free from difficulty. Smith thought that the object in the king's 1. hand was a javelin and so he described the type as Javelin type. Mr. Allan thought that the object was a standard and so he described the type as the Standard type. Mr. P. L. Gupta¹ and Dr. B. C. Chhabra² have described the type as *rājadaṇḍa* (sceptre) type. No definite preference can be shown to any of the above names, because the object is not uniformly represented. On some coins (*e.g.*, Pl. I. 14; II. 2) the object has a pointed end and distinctly resembles a javelin, but on others (*e. g.*, Pl. II. 1, 2, 5) it is clearly a sceptre or *rājadaṇḍa* with a thick and flattened end. In favour of the Javelin theory, it may be pointed out that on other types of Samudragupta, we find him wielding weapons like the bow and the battle-axe in his left hand; we should therefore conclude that he has a javelin in this type, especially since it clearly resembles that weapon in the majority of cases. As against this view, it may be pointed out that the object has a flag-like ribbon or a fillet attached to it in its upper half (Pl. I. 14; II. 1, 5, 6 etc.), which we do not see in the case of a spear. As against Mr. Allan's view that the object is a standard, it may be pointed out that the obverse shows the official Gupta standard, *Garuḍadhvaja* in front of the king; would not then a second standard in the king's left hand have been superfluous? The king as his own standard-bearer is also not in consonance with Indian tradition of propriety and dignity. The third view suggests that the object is a sceptre or rājadaṇḍa and it undoubtedly looks like one in Pl. II, 1, 2, 5, 8. But rājadaṇḍa also has not a ribbon or a fillet or a flag attached to its upper half, and in majority of cases the object has a pointed end like a javelin. If the object was really looked upon as a rājadaṇḍa, one cannot understand why the majestic motif of the king appearing with his rājadaṇḍa should not only have become unpopular but should have altogether disappeared in later times. Since each view is beset with difficulties, we propose to continue the designation of Standard type, simply because it is well-established.

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¹ *J. N. S. I.*, IX. 146.

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² *Ibid*, XI. 25.

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The close resemblance, which the Standard type bears to its prototype, has been already discussed (p. 30). It is however necessary to draw attention to the conscious effort that the mint-masters were making to Indianise the type. The Kuṣāṇa peaked head-dress is replaced by a close-fitting cap, decorated in the Hindu fashion by a pearl-border (Pl. II. 2. 5). Triśūla (trident) in front of the king is replaced by a Garuḍa banner which was the insignia of the Guptas.¹ Above all, the corrupt and unmeaning Greek legend on the obverse is replaced by a Sanskrit metrical inscription in Brāhmī characters. Perhaps the only remnant of the Greek legend may be detected in a solitary crescent, that we sometimes see near the Garuḍa-standard or over the king’s head (Pl. I. 15; II. 1). The crescent may, however, not be the remnant of a Greek letter and have had its own significance, because the crescent-standard appears on many types (cf. Pl. I. 8; III. 3; III. 13). The Greek legend Ardoxsho, which appears on some of the coins of the late Kushāṇa type (Pl. I. 3), has been replaced by the Brāhmī legend Parākramaḥ, giving the biruda of the emperor. It is clear that the Gupta mint-masters were trying to nationalise the foreign type as much as numismatic conservatism would permit. The workmanship of their coins is also much superior to that of their prototype. The metal is almost pure gold, with an alloy of about 10% only, instead of about 50% which was in the late Kushāṇa coins.

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¹ The Allahabad inscription describes how the charters of Samudragupta used to be stamped with the Garuḍa seal. We cannot therefore accept the opinion of Smith that the Garuḍa standard was copied on the Gupta coins from the Roman eagle. The Garuḍa standard was well known in India even in the 2nd century B. C., as is shown by the Besnagar pillar of Heliodorus.

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On some coins of the Standard type, the back of the throne has been dispensed with (Pl. II. 5, 8). It is likely, but by no means certain, that these may have been issued in provinces like Magadha, where the Kushāṇa numismatic influence was not very strong. Its disappearance marks a further progress in Indianisation.

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The identity of the goddess on this type is difficult to determine. The mint masters have deliberately expunged her Roman name Ardoxsho. It is clear that they desired to identify her with an Indian deity, which was most probably Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, whose mount Garuḍa appears on the standard on the obverse. She, however, has no peculiar symbols of that goddess, and we cannot exclude the possibility of the goddess being Durgā, who figured on the reverse of the coins of Chandragupta I, as indicated by her mount, the lion.

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The king on the obverse is seen offering oblations at the altar. This was of course a motif borrowed from the coins of the late Kushāṇa type (see Pl. I. 3-5). It is however interesting to notice how the motif was gradually further and further Indianised. On some coins of Samudragupta (Pl. I. 14, 15; II. 1) the object in the king's hand is clearly seen to be a round puroḍāśa (sacrificial offering resembling a ball). The conventional altar, however, looks in some cases like a flower pot with a plant; it may have been a tulasīvṛndāvana with that sacred plant (see Pl. II. 5, 8, 9). Tulasī is sacred to the followers of Vishnu and the Guptas were undoubtedly Vaiṣṇavas. Whether there was a deliberate intention to vary the motif, we do not know. In some cases the object looks like Śiva-liṅga with Archā (Pl. VIII. 8), but this resemblance is probably purely accidental.

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To Samudragupta belongs the distinction of being the first Indian king to introduce a metrical legend on coins.¹ The Allahabad inscription describes how he had acquired the title of kavirāja (poet-laureate) on account of his excellent poems. Whether this was actually the case we do not know; for no poems of his have been handed down to us.² There can be, however, no doubt that the interesting decision to give the obverse legend in a metrical line must have been due to the poetic vein in the warrior king; we may presume that he himself was the author of at least some of the metrical hemistiches occurring on his coins.

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¹ Mr. Allan was the first to point out that many of the legends on the Gupta coins were metrical. The discovery of this fact facilitated very much the task of completing the fragmentary legends, or the legends where medial vowel marks were off the flan.

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² A Kṛṣṇacharitra has been ascribed to him by some persons, but without sufficient evidence.

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The Allahabad inscription (l. 17) shows that Parākrama was the special biruda of Samudragupta and the legend Parākramaḥ and Aśvamedhaparākramaḥ occurring on the Tiger-slayer and the Aśvamedha types respectively must be taken as referring to him. On one of the Standard type coins of Samudragupta found at Bamnala in Indore state (now Madhyabharat state) the legend on the reverse is clearly Śrī-Vikramaḥ (Pl. II. 10). As the biruda Vikrama is so far known to occur only on the coins of Chandragupta II, and as the Allahabad inscription issued towards the end of his reign expressly states that Parākrama was the special biruda of Samudragupta, it is very likely that this solitary Standard type coin of the Bamnala hoard may be due to an accidental mistake committed early in the reign of Chandragupta II; the obverse die of the Standard type of the late king was by oversight used along with a reverse die of one of the varieties of the Archer type of the new king. This mistake must have been soon detected, and hence we have so far got only one coin of this type. If we do not assume the occurrence of such a mistake, we shall have to suppose that Samudragupta assumed the biruda of Vikrama along with Parākrama. This appears to be very improbable, for Gupta kings had usually one biruda only. We have, however, tentatively accepted the evidence of the Bamnala coin at its face value and included it among the Standard type coins of Samudragupta.

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On a solitary gold coin of the late Kushāṇa type of very crude workmanship, we unexpectedly come across the legend Samudra under the king's arm (Pl. II. 11). There is no doubt that the coin belongs not to the Gupta series, but to the Late Kushāṇa series of the Punjab. There is a trident and not a Garuḍadhvaja in front of the king; there is a solitary Brāhmī letter śa near the right foot of the king, as is to be seen on several other coins of this series (Pl. I. 3, 4). Outside the standard or spear, there is a perpendicular legend, read as Gaḍahara by Cunningham. Its reading, however, is uncertain, as the letters are interlocked with one another. The first letter ga is, however, definite.

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The only plausible explanation that we can offer of this type is that it may have been issued by some Kushāṇa feudatory of Samudragupta. The Allahabad inscription describes how the Śaka and Kushāṇa chiefs attended upon him and prayed for charters confirming them in their dominions. One of them may have decided to show his loyalty by issuing coins with the name of the emperor in the place of honour and his own name or the name of his tribe outside the spear.

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Samudragupta's Standard type is no doubt a close imitation of the Kushāṇa prototype. But this rare coin shows that it was in its turn imitated by some of his Kushāṇa feudatories in the Punjab. Perhaps more coins of this type may have been issued; but unfortunately we have only one specimen handed down to us.

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A large number of symbols occur on the Standard type in the upper left quadrant. In some cases however we get an additional symbol on right as well. The significance of these symbols is still unknown; see Chap. XIIA.

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Well preserved coins of Chandragupta I all weigh about 120 grains and thus conform to the Kushāṇa and Roman weight standard. We have, however, several well-preserved coins of Samudragupta, some of which weigh 115 grains, some 118 grains and some 121 grains. They appear to have been issued to these three weight standards. A few rare coins of Samudragupta are seen to weigh only about 108 grains. We get such rare light coins in the case of all Gupta emperors. They are freak coins and represent no normal weight standard.

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Three different types of *ma* are used on the Standard type coins, illustrated in Pl. I. 14-15 and II. 19. We, however, sometimes see two of these forms, the so-called eastern and western ones together not only on the same piece but also on the same side; Pl. I. 15. This would show that all these forms were current, all over the Gupta empire. The nomenclature ‘eastern’ and ‘western’ is not strictly correct; see Chap. XIIC.

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On the Standard type of Samudragupta, the king is always seen facing left. In *Asiatic Researches*, Vol. XVII, Pl. I. fig. 5 a coin is, however, published, where the king is standing to *right* and offering oblations by his left hand. Gupta mint-masters could have issued no such coin, for Hindu tradition never permits the offering of sacred oblations by the *left* hand. We have reproduced this coin on Pl. II. 4 and a glance at it will make it clear that the drawing in the *Asiatic Researches* is from the negative side of the normal coin.¹ There is no reason to hold that the king was ever represented as standing to right on any coin of the Standard type.

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¹ *J. N. S. I.*, XII. 116.

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The Standard type coins may be divided into three classes; class I where the *biruda* is *Parākrama*; class II where it is *Vikrama* and Class III, where we find the type imitated by a Kushāṇa feudatory of the emperor. Class III was not issued from the Gupta mints and class II may have been due to a mistake in the mint, as pointed out above at p. 43. Classes II and III are known from single specimens only.

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In class I, we have distinguished seven varieties. In variety A, the legend begins at XI and the name under the arm is simply *Samudra* (Pl. I. 14). This is most common variety. In variety B, we have a crescent in addition near the king's head (Pl. I. 15; II. 16). Variety C is like variety A, but it is small in size and neat in execution, having a uniform weight and symbol (Pl. II. 3). Variety D is like variety A, but the king has a dagger by his side (Pl. II. 6). Only one coin of this type has so far come to light. In varieties E and F the legend begins on the left, but in variety E it is circular (Pl. II. 5), and in variety F, (Pl. II. 2) the legend on the right is in a straight line. In variety G the name of the king under the arm is *Samudragupta*, the last two letters being written outside the standard (Pl. II. 8-9). We now give below the full description of this type.

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*Obv:* King standing l., nimbate, wearing earrings, necklace, armlets, close-fitting cap, coat and trousers. The coat is tailed and often shows several ornamental buttons. He is holding standard in l. hand and offering incense with the r. hand on an altar at his feet, behind which there is a standard decorated with fillet and surmounted by Garuḍa facing. Beneath king's l. arm, written vertically, *Samudra*; outside the standard, *gupta*, on some coins. Circular legend; *Samara-śata-vitata-vijayo jita-ripurajito* divaṃ jayati; (Pl. XX. 3.) ‘The invincible (king) who had won victories on a hundred battle fields and conquered the enemies, wins the heaven.’ Metre; Upagīti.

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*Rev:* Goddess (Lakṣmī ?) nimbate, seated facing on throne with lathe-turned legs, wearing a *sārī*, a bodice, an upper garment, a necklace, armlets and a circular pearl-bordered ornament round the face. She holds cornucopiæ in l. hand and a noose in r. Her feet rest on a circular mat. Back of the throne is visible in most cases but not all its four legs. Border of dots all round.

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Symbol always on l. but sometimes on r. also.

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On r., *Parākramaḥ*; (Pl. XXIII. 44).

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We now describe the different varieties of the Standard type.

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COINS ILLUSTRATED : 14.

Class I

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(King facing left.)¹

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¹ *B. M. C. G. D.*, Pl. I. 5-10, 12, 13, 16, 17; *J. A. S. B.*, 1884, i, Pl. II. 3-4.

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Variety A

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(Legend beginning at I, and *Samudra* only under the left arm.)

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(1) Gold.; .8″.; 117.5 grains; *B. H.* Pl. II. 7.

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*Obv:* The king is nimbate and the expression of his face is smart. Staff of the Garuḍa standard not visible. Circular legend, *Samaraśatavitata*; the legend on the left is off the flan. Standard has a pointed end like a javelin.

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*Rev:* Back of the throne is visible. Legend, *Parākramaḥ*. (Pl. I. 14).

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Variety B

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(As above, but with a crescent.)¹

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¹ (As above, but with a crescent.)

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(2) Gold; .9"; 116.5 grains; *B. H.*, Pl. II. 1. *Obv:* Crescent is above the *Garudadhvaja*, whose staff is visible. The standard has a round flat top and looks like a sceptre. Circular legend, on the right, *Samaraśatavata*, on the left at IX, *jatarapa*. (Pl. II. 1) *Rev:* All four legs of the throne are visible, as also its back which is too much inclined. Symbol on right also, consisting of a cluster of four dots. Legend, *Parākramaḥ*. (Not illustrated).

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(3) Gold; .85"; 113.7 grains; *B. H.*, Pl. II. 12. *Obv:* King wears high boots and a crescent is above his head. Legend, on r., *Samaraśama(ta)vata*, on l. *tavajaya jatarapara*. *Ma* is misengraved for *ta*, *va* has a round lower limb; *ma* of Samudra is in the eastern variety and *ma* of samara in the western one; thus two varieties occur on the same side. *Ma* on the reverse is in the western variety. *Rev:* Legend, *Parākrama*, *ma* being in the western variety. (Pl. I. 15)

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(4) Gold; .8"; 116.4 grains; *B.H.*, Pl. II. 7. *Obv:* Crescent above king's head. The obverse is double struck and shows two Garuḍa standards and two figures of the king. Traces of the circular legend of the first striking are faintly visible between the two Garuḍa standards. *Ma* under arms is of the eastern variety. (Pl. II. 7) *Rev:* Legend, *Parakramaḥ*, *ma* being in the western variety. (Not illustrated).

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2. There are 12 coins of this variety in the Bayana hoard and 4 in the *B. M. C.*, *G. D.*, Pl. I. 1-4.

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Variety C

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(Same as above, but small in size)¹

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¹ There are 18 coins of this variety in the Bayana hoard and two in the *B. M. C., G. D.*, Pl. I. 14-15. The special circumstances that justified the attribution of these coins to a new variety were not clear at the time when the *B. M. C., G. D.*, was published.

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(5) Gold; .72"; 121.6 grains; *B. H.*, Pl. III. 2. *Obv:* Circular legend, on the l., *Samaraśatavatata*, on r., *tarapurajito diva jayata*. *Rev:* Folds of the *sāri* of the goddess are collected between her legs.

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(Pl. II. 3)

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Variety D

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(Similar to variety A, but the king has a dagger.)

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(6) Gold .85"; weight not known; from Ajit Ghose Collection; *N.S.*, XLVI, p. 23. *Obv:* Legend is blurred. Dagger is to be seen hanging on the right side. *Rev:* Not published.

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(Pl. II. 6)

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Variety E

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(Similar to variety A, but the legend begins on l.)

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(7) Gold: .9"; 119. 4 grains; *B. H.*, Pl. III. 12. *Obv:* The object in l. hand looks like a sceptre. Three flames above the altar look like the branches of a plant; it may be *Tulasi-vṛndāvana*. Legend, on l. *Samaraśatavata*; on r., *tavaja(ya) jata*. Crack at IV. *Rev:* Back of the throne not visible. Legend, *Parākrama*.

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(Pl. II. 5)

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Variety F

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(Same as variety E, but the legend on r. is in straight line l.)¹

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¹ It is claimed that the coin published in *J.N.S.I.*, Vol. VIII. Pl. III. 3 has also the legend on the right in a straight line. The line however is more circular than straight. Otherwise that coin would have been a sub-variety of this type having the legend beginning on the r.

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(8) Gold; .8"; 118. 2 grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. I. 11. *Obv:* On l. *Samaraśa* truncated; on r., *tatavijayo ji* are in a straight line. *Rev:* Legend, *Parākramaḥ*. (Pl. II. 2)

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Variety G

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(As above, but king's name is full, *Samudragupta*)²

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² *B. M. C., G. D.*, Pl. II. 1-5; *J.A.S.B.*, 1884, i. Pl. II. 5; *J.R.A.S.*, 1889, Pl. I. 9.

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(9) Gold; .9"; 119.³ grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. II. 4. *Obv:* The altar looks like a flowerpot with a plant with three branches on either side. *Ma* of *Samudra* is of the eastern variety. Legend begins at VII, but the letters *Samaraśatavitata* are truncated; *vajayo* is clear at X; on r. *jatarapurajato dava*. *Rev:* Back of the throne not visible. Legend, *Parākramaḥ*. (Pl. II. 8)

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(10) Gold; .85"; 122.³ grains; *B.M.C., G.D.*, Pl. II. 5. *Obv:* Altar looks like a flowerpot. Legend on l. quite distinct, [*Sa*]*maraśatavatata*. *Rev:* As above, but blurred. (Pl. II. 9)

Class II

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(with the *biruda*, Vikrama)

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(11) Gold; .8"; 112 grains; Bamnala hoard.³ *Obv:* Legend, [*Sa*]*maraśatavatata*.

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³ *J. N. S. I.*, Vol. V. Pl. IXa. 7.

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*Rev:* Legend, *Śrīvikramaḥ*.

Class III

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(Issued by a Kushāṇa feudatory ?)

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(13) Pale gold; size, .8"; weight, not recorded; *C.L.I.S.*, Pl. II. 11.

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*Obv:* King, nimbate, with crude features, standing to l., wearing Kushāṇa coat and a flat hat surmounted by a circle with a dot flanked by two wing-like objects. The king holds standard in l. hand and offers incense over an altar by r. Behind r. hand, a trident. Under l. arm, *Samudra* written perpendicularly. Outside the spear another perpendicular legend read as *Gaḍahara* by Cunningham; this reading is, however, uncertain. To the l., near the king's right foot, *pa* or *pu*.

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