Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c16.40

c16.40

Commercial decline is also indicated by progressive decline in the pure gold content of the Gupta gold coins as compared with those of the Kuṣāṇas. The Vāsudeva coins have 118 grains of pure gold, the Candragupta-Kumāradevī coins 109, certain Samudra Gupta coins have 105-04, other Samudra Gupta-Candra Gupta I coins have 99-98, the Archer coins of Kumāra Gupta I have 92, the similar coins of Skanda Gupta have 79-67, and those of the successors of Narasimha Gupta have 73-54 grains.¹ Thus by the middle of the fifth century the pure gold content of the Gupta coins is reduced to almost half the gold content of the Kuṣāṇa coins. By the end of the sixth century gold coins almost disappear and become rare for about four hundred years. In western India under the Śakas and Guptas we have a good number of silver coins which were apparently used for trade in that area, but they practically disappear in post-Gupta times. All this must have meant a great setback to heavy commercial transactions.