The Age of the Imperial Guptas c10.69

c10.69

Soon after the conquest of Mālava and Gujarat, Candragupta II was compelled to issue a silver coinage for these provinces, just as the Mughal emperor Akbar I was compelled to issue a new type of rupee for his recently conquered province of Gujarat. The new type was an exact copy of the late Western Kṣatrapa coinage having the bust on the obverse with the date in Brāhmī numerals, the whole surrounded by traces of meaningless and degenerate Greek legends On the reverse the *Caitya* is replaced by *Garuda*, the family crest of the Guptas. Even the characters of the circular legend on the reverse was very much affected by the peculiar numismatic alphabet of Kathiawad. This legend is *Parama-bhāgavata-Mahārājādhirāja-Śrī-Candragupta-Vikramāditya(ḥ)*. This is variety *a* in the silver coinage of Candragupta II. In the next variety, *b*, this legend varies:— *Śrī-Gupta-kulasya Mahārājādhirāja-Śrī-Candragupta-Vikramāṅkasya*.¹ Inspite of his long reign the number of silver coins of Candragupta II are extremely rare. Some of these coins were issued in the 9th decade of the first century of the Gupta era and none issued in the eighth decade are known, thus proving that while Mālava was captured before 82 G.E. 401 A.D. Kathiawad was not captured till at least 409. What was the exact cause for which Candragupta II refrained from issuing a separate type of silver coinage for Central India, which was issued for the first time by his son Kumaragupta I, is not known to us.