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MARCH, 1885.)
BOOK NOTICES.
93
there is nothing whatever in their history to lead feudatory of the immediate successors of the to the supposition that they made any such Early Guptas ;-and also on the seal of the Räjim profession of the Saiva faith, as would be implied grant of Tivaradeva (Archæol. Surv. Ind. Vol. by their adopting so uniformly the figure of XVII. Pl. vi.) Pârvati on their coins. As Mr. Smith suggests, Section III. is devoted to the so-called 'mono. the interpretation of this figure as Parvati can grams,' which are found on most of the Gupta be due to nothing but the fact that it is identical gold coins. As Mr. Smith points out, the term in all essential points with the figure on the monogram' is a misnomer; since these marks Indo-Scythian coins, which is connected there certainly contain nothing in the way of a with the name of Aρδοκρο Or Αρδoχρο,-coupled combination of alphabetical characters. The with the supposition that this represents a more correct term would be emblems,' or Sansksit word, Ardhögra, and that the latter is symbols. The true purport of these symbols capable of being interpreted to mean half Siva,' still remains unexplained. But the theories that i.e. his consort Parvati, in allusion to his form they denote mint-cities, or mint-masters, or that of Ardhanarisa, or the god half male and half they are due to nothing but a blind copying of female. Ardhögrá is a possible Sanskrit forma. the Indo-Scythian coins, must certainly be tion; and that is all that can be said for it. abandoned. And Mr. Smith's suggestion that We have no lexicographical authority for such a they are of a religious nature, appears worthy of compound having been ever formed and used; further consideration and inquiry, as being and, if it should be formed, it certainly could not perhaps the closest guess to the true meaning have the meaning of Parvati as the half of Ugra of them that has as yet been made. or Siva. Mr. Smith's conclusion is that the Section IV. deals with a question to which female figure represente, in almost every instance, but little attention has as yet been paid, -that of the goddess Sri or Lakshmi,-not specially as the weights of the coins. And the results of the consort of Vishnu, and therefore symbolical Mr. Smith's experiments seem to shew that, of the Vaishnava religion; but simply as repre. whereas the coins of Nara-Baladitya,' and others senting Fortune, Victory, or regal splendour. of the same class, clearly represent the ancient -As regards the bird-standard,' which appears Hindu weight and coin called suvarna, and weighfirst on the coins of Samudragupta,--Mr. Smith, ing 80 raktikds, or, as Mr. Smith's results seem differing from Professor Wilson and General to shew, 146 grains,--the coins of the imperial Cunningham, finds himself unable to accept it as Early Guptas denote at least three very differrepresenting Garuda, and, while preferring the ent standards of weight, of approximately simple term bird-standard,' as involving no 125, 130, and 134-35 grains respectively, and theory, shews a decided inclination to agree with follow old Roman, Lydian, and Macedonian stanMr. Thomas' interpretation of it as & peacock. dards. The oupper coins of Chandragupta, however, Sections V. and VI. deal with the Find-spote of shew plainly that it is intended for Garuda; the Gupta coins, and as a result, with the quesfor the larger specimens have on the reverse tions of the Early Gupta Mint-cities and Capital. the similar representation of a bird, with wings The hitherto generally accepted opinion has been spread out sideways, and also with human that Kananj was the Capital of the Early Guptas. arms stretched out sideways and downwards The facts put together by Mr. Smith, however, between the wings and the lege; this can. “indicate, unmistakably that the Gupta gold not be meant for anything except Garuda. The "coinage was struck and chiefly current in terri. same bird, with human arms, ocours also on the “tories far to the east of Kanauj; and that these seal of a Gaya copperplate grant of Samudra. "territories may be roughly described as the gupta, which, though the plate itself seems to be "Province of Benares, with some adjoining disspurious, hae apparently an antique and genuine "tricts;" and Mr. Smith, following a suggestion seal attached to it; also on the seal of a grant made by General Cunningham, selecta Patna, the of the Mahardja Sarvanátha of Uchchakalpa, & ancient Pataliputra, as the head-quarters of the
1 Mr. Smith, following Mr. Thomas, writes the first read it. Nor is it srl, as Mr. Smith suggests. According part of this name Nara, with the vowel of the first to the specimen figured by Mr. Smith, and according to syllable long (which has been thought to be an abbrevia- four others, the character is distinctly gre. On one tion of Narayana) and attaches to it the syllables gupta. other coin there is a slight mark which might turn it But in the specimen figured by him, as also in General into brd; but this is very doubtful. The legend on the Cunningham's coins, and in the coin belonging to the reverse is not exactly Baldity, but validity for Asiatic Society of Bengal, the name on the obverse is Baliditya. As in the case of this coin, Mr. Thomas very distinotly Nara, with the vowel of the first syllable interprets as gu character that is between the foot short. The coins furnish no authority whatever for the of the standing figure on the obverse of gold coin of addition of the syllable gupta for the character be- Vishnu-ChandrAditya (anto Vol. XII. p. 10). But the twoon the king's feet is certainly not gu, as Mr. Thomas | real reading there is
