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Art. IV.—Observations on the Gupta Coinage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Extract

Since the publication, in January, 1889, of my monograph, on the Gupta Coinage, I have kept by me an interleaved copy of that work, in which I have noted from time to time all miscellaneous information bearing on the subject which, happened to come to my notice, and descriptions of coins submitted for my inspection. I am especially indebted to my friend Mr. J. H. Rivett-Carnac, C.I.E., for placing in my hands the whole of his splendid collection of gold Gupta coins, which includes several novelties, and many fine and rare specimens.

Type
Original Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1893

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References

page 77 note 1 Mr. Grant's gold Gupta coins are now in the Ermitage Impérial at St. Petersburg.

page 78 note 1 Gold coins now in Indian Museum, Calcutta.

page 79 note 1 Journal of Royal Asiatic Society for 1889, pp. 1–158, with five plates; referred to in this paper as ‘Catalogue.’

page 79 note 2 “Notes on Gupta Coins.” (Numismatic Chronicle, vol. xi, third series, pp. 48–64, with one plate.)

page 79 note 3 “Inscribed Seal of Kumâra Gupta II.” (J. As. Soc. Bengal for 1889, vol. Iviii, part i. By Dr. Hoernlé and V. A. Smith.) An electrotype facsimile of the seal has been placed in the British Museum.

page 79 note 4 “On the Origin of the Gupta-Valabbî Era.” (Vienna Oriental Journal, vol. v, part 3).

page 80 note 1 The opinion that the Gupta era dates from the accession of Chandra Gupta I. has been held by Sir A. Cunningham for many years, and was published by him in 1879 (Arclæol. Survey Rep. vol. ix, p. 21).

page 84 note 1 I am sorry to find “the Guptas of Kanauj” still appearing in the article on the Coins of Jndia, by ProfGardner, Percy and MrLane-Poole, Stanley, in ‘Coins and Medals, their place in History and Art,’ 2nd edition, 1892, page 180Google Scholar. This article seems not to have been very carefully revised, it speaks of “the Sah dynasty” (p. 181), and describes the Gupta, coinage as “money of almost pure Indian style” (p. 180)Google Scholar, which much of it certainly is not. The misreading of Sāh for Siṁha was corrected years ago.

page 85 note 1 The letters are damaged. They have been read as Mahâlakshmî devî, Mahâdevî devî, or Mahûdevî.

page 88 note 1 Revue Numismatique for 1889, Bulletin Bibliographique, page 142.

page 89 note 1 Dr. Bühler suggests that the Gupta form of the guttural nasal may prove to be a variant of an ancient form of the anunâsika, “which was written as a curve open to the right. But I doubt this.

page 89 note 2 Epigraphia Indica, vol. i, p. 371.

page 89 note 3 Fleet, Corpus Inscr. Ind. vol. iii, p. 141, note 5, with reference to the Mehrauli (Delhi) Iron Pillar inscription.

page 91 note 1 “The Inscriptions of Piyadasi; the Language of the Edicts and the linguistic history of India.” By Senart, E. (Indian Antiquary for July, 1892, vol. xxi, page 209)Google Scholar.

page 91 note 2 Ibid. page 244 (August, 1892).

page 91 note 3 Führer, , ‘Monumental Antiquities of N.W.P. and Oudh,’ p. 275Google Scholar.

page 91 note 4 Ibid. p 230. The seal of Kumara Gupta Il. was found at this place.

page 91 note 5 Oudh Gazetteer, article on Râi Barelî District, vol. iii, p. 219.

page 91 note 6 Ibid. article on Kheri District, vol. ii, p. 268.

page 92 note 1 Führer, , ‘Monumental Antiquities and Inscriptions of N.W.P. and Oudh,’ page 29Google Scholar.

page 92 note 2 Prinsep's Essays, ed. Thomas, vol. i, p. 418. The Mitra coins have recently been described by Sir A. Cunningham in his ‘Coins of Ancient India,’ but require further investigation.

page 92 note 3 Numismatic Chron., vol. xi, third series, p. 59.

page 94 note 1 The pages referred to are those of the Catalogue printed in the J.R.A.S.

page 96 note 1 Tod, Annals of Râjasthân, ed. 1829, vol. i, p. 565. The crimson banner or “sacredstandard” alluded to is depicted in the frontispiiece.

page 97 note 1 Prinsep's Essays, ed. Thomas, vol. i, p. 115, plate vii, 1.

page 98 note 1 Führer, , ‘Monumental Antiquities of N.W.P. and Oudh,’ p. 285Google Scholar; Oudh Gazetteer, vol. iv, p. 128.

page 99 note 1 Führer, , ‘Monumental Antiquities of N.W.P. and Oudh,’ p. 310Google Scholar. The ⋅rîvatsa is a Vaishnava mark (Monier-Williams, , ‘Keligious Thought and Life in India,’ London, 1883, p. 103Google Scholar).

page 101 note 1 Mr. Rapson notes that the compound : occurs in Raghuvaṁsa, I. 59.

page 101 note 2 On some new or rare Hindu aad Muhanunadan Coins (J.A.S.B. vol. lix. (1890), part i, pp. 171, 179, with a plate).

page 102 note 1 Cunningham, Coins of Ancient India, p. 86.

page 102 note 2 Cunningham, Coins of Ancient India, p. 68, plate iv.

page 105 note 1 Mr. H. C. Barstow, late of the Indian Civil Service, possesses a considerable number of gold Gupta coins, which I had the pleasure of inspecting in August, 1892, at the British Museum, where they were deposited for examination.

page 107 note 1 Fleet, Corpus Inscr. Ind. vol. iii, p. 266, No. 64, and Smith, Gupta Coinage, p. 43.

page 107 note 2 Minor Law Books; Nârada and Bṛihaspati, ed. Jolly, vol. xxxiii, pp. 317 and 231 (Sacred Books of the East). The appendix to Narada is found in a Nepalese MS. only, and seems to be written from a Nepalese point of view.

page 108 note 1 Mr. Head takes 135 grains as the normal weight of the Attic or Corinthian stater, but, as Sir A. Cunningham observes (Coins of Ancient India, p. 10), the figures 134·4 are much more convenient for calculation. The Gupta coins followed Roman models, and the weight of the Gupta dinârs is generally much below 134·4. The heavy coins approach more closely to the suvarṇa standard of 146 grains, and the divergence in weight of existing specimens of the two classes of Gupta coins consequently approaches twenty grains. The divergence is, I think, too regular in amount to be explained, as has been suggested, by the supposition that the greater weight of the heavy coins is merely compensation for baseness of metal. Some of the heavy coins do not seem to be composed of metal inferior to that of some of the ordinary weight, but no chemical analyses have been made.

page 116 note 1 The following corrections in detail are necessary:—

B.Nos. 714, 715 716. Wts. are 125·5, 124, 125.

Variety β A.S.B. Strike out the words “a character between king's feet, and h before his face.” For xxxix. read xxix.

Variety δ. Coin from Mahanada in Bengal. Add “now in A.S.B.”

page 117 note 1 The wts. of the Bodleian coins are 118·5, 115·5, 120·5.

page 118 note 1 Talâm, as Mr. Rapson reminds me, is not correct; talam or tale would be correct. I can only say that the word seemed to me to be talâm, but talam is probably the right reading. Mr. Rapson also suggests that the “uncertain object” near the hand of the goddess may be an ill-executed attempt at the peacock of variety γ. This is probably the case.

page 120 note 1 See footnote ante, p. 118.

page 122 note 1 J.A.S.B. vol. lix, part i, p. 179.

page 127 note 1 The reading Pura is certainly untenable, and must be given up. Mr. Rapson agrees with Dr Bühler and Sir A. Cunningham that the word is “certainly not Para,” and may be Sthira. See ante note to Synoptic Table.

page 128 note 1 Sir A. Cunningham has always held that Nara Bâlâditya was Nara Gupta.

page 131 note 1 On this subject see “The History of the Moghul Emperors of Hindustan Illustrated by their Coins.” By Stanley Lane-Poole, Westminster, 1892, p. lxxvi, and the discussion in Thomas' “Chronicles of the Pathân Kings of Delhi,” pp. 403 seqq.

page 132 note 1 Prinsep's Essays, ed. Thomas, vol. i. p. 281 note.

page 132 note 2 ‘The Coins and History of Toramâṇa,’ Ind. Antiquary, vol. xviii. pp. 225–230.

page 132 note 3 Proc.A.S.B. for 1889, p. 229. Sir A. Cunningham is now engaged on the study of the Hûṇa coins; and a paper on the subject by him was read at the International Congress of Orientalists in London in September, 1892.

page 132 note 4 Proc.A.S.B. for 1885, pp. 4–7, with a plate.

page 133 note 1 Catalogue of Coins in the Government Museum, Lahore, compiled by Chas. J. Rodgers, M.R.A S. Calcutta, 1891, p. 64. This work has been reviewed by me in the Indian Antiquary for June, 1892 (vol. xxi. p. 194).

page 133 note 2 J.A.S.B. for 1889, vol. lvii. part i. note to Chronological Table facing p. 105.

page 133 note 3 ‘On the Origin of the Gupta-Valabhî Era,’ p. 7 note.

page 135 note 1 J.A.S.B. vol. lvi. part i. p. 171. These coins formed part of the collection gathered for the Indian Museum by Bâbû P.C. Mukharjî.

page 137 note 1 The correct reading is probably Mahendrâditya.

page 138 note 1 J.A.S.B vol. lix. (1890), parti, p. 171.

page 140 note 1 ‘On the Origin of the Gupta-Valabhî Era,’ p. 7 note, of the reprint from the Vienna Oriental Journal, vol. v. part iii.

page 138 note 2 b.c. 392–390.

page 138 note 1 b.c. 390–369.

page 140 note 1 Akerman, . “The Forgeries of Public Money,” being; the substance of a lecture delivered before the Numismatic Society, London, 23rd 04, 1843Google Scholar.

page 141 note 1 The British Museum possesses no specimen of the copper coinage of Chashtana.

page 141 note 2 “The Western Kshatrapas,” by Paṇḍit Bhagvânlâl Indrajî, Ph.D., M.R.A.S., edited by E. J. Rapson, M.A., M.R.A.S. (J.R.A.S. Vol. XXII. New Series, pages 641–647).

page 144 note 1 Thomas, , “The Chronicles of the Pathân Kings of Delhi,” pp. 243253Google Scholar.

page 146 note 1 Catalogue of the Coins in the Goyemment Museum, Lahore, p. 53, Nos. 5–8. No. 5, the coin described in the text, is the only specimen at all distinct.

page 151 note 1 Mr. Bapson thinks that the mark hitherto read as â on the B.M. coin may be only a flaw in the die, and therefore prints Kacha, not Kâcha.