This gold half dinar belongs to the Hindu Shahi dynasty from the north Gandhara region. This coin was issued by Vipilinda, a hitherto unknown ruler.

The weight of this coin is around 4.19 g, the obverse of this coin depicts a king riding on a horse towards the left within the dotted border. The reverse of this coin depicts a couchant seated bull in the centre facing left with a legend in Sharada script ‘Shri Shahi’ above it clockwise and ‘Vipilinda’ below it.

This coin is considered unique so far, due to its unlisted status in various publications. The palaeographic of its legend is the sign of the transformation of Brahmi into Sharada script around the 8th century.

Image Courtesy: Classical Numismatic Gallery