History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c16.s1.t5.45

c16.s1.t5.45

Certain specimens of rude coins, better known to numismatists as the Ādivarāha type, have usually been ascribed to Bhojadeva of Kanauj.² They are minted in alloyed silver, which indicates a period of financial stringency, probably as a result of Bhoja’s numerous wars. The obverse contains the Brāhmī legend “Śrimad ā di varāha,” and below it there are indistinct marks indicative of the Sassanian fire-altar. The reverse exhibits a man with a boar’s head, signifying the boar-incarnation of Viṣṇu, with a solar wheel in front of him. The Siyadoni record mentions them as “Śrimad Ādivarāha dramma,” thus furnishing an additional proof of their descent from the greek *drachma* through Sassanian types.