Chapter VII.
The Guptas, a.d. 410–470.
Samudragupta, a.d. 370–395. Samudragupta, a.d. 370–395.Samudragupta was the first of his family to strike coins. His numerous gold coins are, with a certain additional Indian element, adopted from those of his Indo-Skythian predecessors. The details of the royal figure on the obverse are Indian in the neck ornaments, large earrings, and headdress; they are Indo-Skythian in the tailed coat, long boots, and straddle. The goddess on the reverse of some coins with a fillet and cornucopia is an adaptation of an Indo-Skythian figure, while the lotus-holding Ganges on an alligator and the standing Glory holding a flyflapper on the reverse of other coins are purely Indian.[7]
His Coins.A noteworthy feature of Samudragupta’s coins is that one or other of almost all his epithets appears on each of his coins with a figure of the king illustrating the epithet. Coins with the epithet Sarvarájochchhettá Destroyer-of-all-kings have on the obverse a standing king stretching out a banner topped by the wheel or disc of universal supremacy.[8]
Coins[9] with the epithet Apratiratha Peerless have on the obverse a standing king whose left hand rests on a bow and whose right hand holds a loose-lying unaimed arrow and in front an Eagle or Garuḍa standard symbolizing the unrivalled supremacy of the king, his arrow no longer wanted, his standard waving unchallenged. On the obverse is the legend:
Chapter VII.
The Guptas, a.d. 410–470.
Samudragupta, a.d. 370–395.
अप्रतिरथराजन्यकीर्ति (र) मम विजयते.
Apratiratharájanyakírti(r)mama vijáyate.[10]
Triumphant is the glory of me the unrivalled sovereign.
Coins with the attribute Kritánta paraśu the Death-like-battle-axe have on the obverse a royal figure grasping a battle-axe.[11] In front of the royal figure a boy, perhaps Samudragupta’s son Chandragupta, holds a standard. Coins with the attribute Aśvamedhaparákramaḥ Able-to-hold-a-horse-sacrifice have on the obverse a horse standing near a sacrificial post yúpa and on the reverse a female figure with a flyflap.[12] The legend on the obverse is imperfect and hard to read. The late Mr. Thomas restores it:
नवजमधः राजाधिराज पृथिविं जियत्य.
Navajamadhaḥ rájádhirája pṛithivíṃ jiyatya.
Horse sacrifice, after conquering the earth, the great king (performs).