Lectures on Ancient Indian Numismatics (Carmichael Lectures, 1921) c6.26.3

c6.26.3

The name of this god, as it appears on their coins, consists of four Greek letters o h p o, which has puzzled many numismatists. They are all convinced that the god so represented is no other than Śiva, but his name has baffled all their attempt at decipherment. Some numismatists equate it with Ugra (Śiva),² some see in it some connection with ukshan or vrisha,³ the bull of Śiva, and others take it to stand for Bhaveśa.⁴ But none of these readings can be considered satisfactory, because the word ukshan or vrisha by itself can hardly denote Śiva, and Bhaveśa and Ugra, although they are names of Śiva, can hardly be represented in sound by the four Greek characters. Now, the second of these four letters, as I have just said is H. Knowing as numismatists do how H is confounded with M in the Kushana period, I feel no hesitation in reading the letters to be o m p o, and taking them to stand for Umeśa.⁵ The worship of Śiva seems to have been continued by the Scytho-Sassanians who succeeded the Kushanas. We thus have coins of Varahran V (A.D. 422-440), the reverse of which bears Śiva and bull.¹ This Śiva-bull type is afterwards found on the coins of only one king, *viz.*, Śaśāṅka, king of Gauḍa (A.D. 600-625).² But Śiva is not the only divinity that was worshipped. Other deities connected with him are found represented either jointly or severally on the coins of Huvishka, *viz.*, Skanda, Kumāra, Viśākha and Mahāsena.