The History of Bengal (Vol. I: Hindu Period; Vol. II: Muslim Period 1200–1757) v1.c19.s9.10

v1.c19.s9.10

With the establishment of the Gupta empire, Bengal shared in the currency system introduced and maintained by that dynasty. The coinage of the Gupta monarchs was based essentially on gold and silver, though copper was not unknown. The discovery of a large number of Gupta coins, both of gold and silver, in almost every part of Bengal, shows that they came into fairly wide circulation within the province. Extant specimens prove that the earlier gold coins of the dynasty followed the standard of their Kushān prototypes, weighing about 122 grains; but from the time of Skandagupta onwards a deliberate attempt seems to have been made to revert to the old Hindu *suvarṇa* standard of 146.4 grains.¹ The silver coins of the Gupta monarchs show considerable variations in weight; but those circulating in the central and eastern provinces of the empire appear to have approximated the standard weight of silver *kārshāpaṇas*, i.e. 36 grains.²