The Age of the Imperial Guptas c10.114

c10.114

The silver coinage issued by Kumāragupta I for circulation in Gujarat and Kathiawad is more numerous and varied than that of his father Chandragupta II. Allan divides the silver issues into five classes of which the first three classes were for circulation in the Western provinces e.g. Gujarat and Kathiawad. In the first class we find the bust of the king as on similar coins of Candragupta II with the word varsha on the left and degraded Greek letters to the right of the bust. We see Garuḍa in the centre of the obverse surrounded by a long marginal legend:— Paramabhāgavata - Mahārājādhirāja - Śrī- Kumāragupta-Mahendrādityaḥ.¹ The reverse legend in the second and third varieties of Class I is exactly the same.² In Class II there is no trace of the Greek letters on the obverse and the reverse legend on the first variety is the same as in Class I. In the second variety this legend begins with Bhāgavata instead of Parama.³ The Greek legend re-appears in the third class in the first variety of which the emperor is called Mahārājādhirāja but in the second variety this title makes way for Rājādhirāja, which reminds one of the Great Kuṣāan title Rājātirāja.⁴