________________
GUPTA PERIOD
Coins: The Gupta coinage adopted many of the existing details of the Kṣatrapa coins, with slight modification. Of the existing features, the Guptas kept the bust, bearing, their personality. The symbols of the Gupta coins are Garuda, cluster of dots, wavy line beneath border of dots, bull couchant to right (on the base-metal coins of Skandagupta).
127
The symbols of Bull and Garuda etc. are new to Gujarat. The Garuda is found on early Greek coins, and Bull on those of the Kuşanas. The Bull has survived through Valabhi coins and copper-plates, right down to the time of Múlarāja, the Caulukya king.
"For the first time, the Gupta rulers proclaimed their Vaisnava faith on the coins, thus introducing Gujarat by more ways than one, to their pursuit of the old cults perhaps fallen in abeyance ". On Candragupta II's Saurāṣṭra coins, the legend runs: Fina महाराजाधिराज श्री चन्द्रगुप्त विक्रमाङ्कस्य ।
A large series of silver-plated Gupta coins with a copper core have been found around the site of the ancient Valabhi. The Bull type coins are found in Sauraṣṭra, and probably belonged to the region around Valabhi.
Candragupta II's coins: Candragupta II's several gold coins show a young male figure behind the king, with his right hand laid on the king's shoulders. This youthful figure is Candragupta's son Kumaragupta, who may have acted as the Yuvaraja during the conquest of Malwa. The rareness of Candragupta's coins in Saurastra, together with the date 90 G. E. (A.D. 409) on some of Kumaragupta's coins make it probable that on their conquest his father appointed Kumaragupta, Viceroy of Gujarat and Sauraṣṭra. (Plate XXVI).
The discovery of nine gold coins of Candragupta II at the village Kumarkhan in Viramgam taluka (Ahmedabad District) is significant (JNSI, XV, 1955). A single coin. of Candragupta II's from Karvan is discussed by M. G. Dikshit.
Kumaragupta's coins: Large numbers of Kumaragupta's coins of gold, silver and copper have been found. The silver coins have on the obverse the royal bust in the Ksatrapa style of dress. The bust is a copy of the moustached Kṣatrapa face with the only difference that the date is in Gupta, instead of in the Ksatrapa, era. On the reverse is an ill-formed peacock facing from the right as in Candragupta II's coins.
Skandagupta's coins: Skandagupta's Western coins are of three varieties: (i) the same as Western coins of Kumaragupta, (ii) with a bull instead of a peacock on the reverse, and (iii) with a plate (with very small leaves) and basin. Coins of the first two varieties are found both in Gujarat and in Saurăṣṭra. The third water-jet variety is peculiar to Kaccha, and is an entirely new feature in the Western Gupta coinage.
Jain Education International
Coins Hoards: A hoard of 2,000 silver coins of Kumaragupta I was found from Amreli excavations.-(Hirananda Shastri, ARADB, 1936-37, p. 8); and another hoard of 200 silver coins was accidently unearthed at Anand, now in Vallabh Vidyanagar Museum.
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
