2022-03-15 Tue

Chandragupta II, also known as Vikramaditya, was the son of Samudragupta; he was the next great emperor of the Gupta Empire after Samudragupta. He was the second ruler of the Gupta Empire.

During the rule of Chandragupta II, the Gupta Empire reached its highest peak. During his reign, art and architecture, sculpture, and the cultural development of the Gupta Empire flourished. He also elevated religion, culture, mathematics, philosophy, astronomy during his reign. One of the most important events of Chandragupta II was his conquest of Saka; he destroyed Saka king Rudrasena III and annexed his kingdom.

The above ‘Chhatra’ type, gold dinar, was issued by Chandragupta II during his rule in the Gupta Empire. The weight of this coin is around 7.59g. The obverse of this depicts Nimbate standing facing towards the left, offering sacrificial objects at an altar. A dwarf standing behind Nimbate holding a royal parasol, (Chhatra) above his head. The reverse side of this coin depicts a standing goddess Lakshmi holding a lotus in one hand and a diadem in the other; Brahmi legend Vikramaditya (partly visible) to the right and tamgha to the left.

The gold dinar is listed for INR 1,40,000 in the upcoming auction of Classical Numismatic Gallery that will be held in Kolkatta on April 2, 2022.

Image Courtesy: Classical Numismatic Gallery