2016-10-12 Wed

There are so many ancient Indian dynasties with which we are not very familiar. So today we will get well known with ‘Samatata’ region.

Samatata was an ancient Indian region in south-eastern Bengal. Comilla (currently in Bangladesh) was known as Samatata from around 6th-13th century AD. The earliest references are found in the Allahabad inscription, the Brihatasamhita and in the travelogues of Hiuen Tsang.

The major Dynasties which ruled over Samatata region are Khadga dynasty, Rata dynasty, Deva dynasty, Harikela dynasty, Chandra dynasty and Varman dynasty. The accurate periods of all these dynasties are still not known but it started around 6th century AD.

Various gold coins are found in Samatata region which helps in constructing their history. This reliable numismatics evidence gives a ray of source of information for further research.

One of the gold dinar found in this region weighs around 6.2g. It was issued by Rata/ Khadga dynasty (7th or 8th century). The obverse depicts the standing king in tribhanga pose with bow and arrow in either hand with a ‘Shankha’ standard behind. The reverse depicts standing Goddess probably Lakshmi carrying fruits in her hand. An illegible legend is also found on the right side of the reverse.

The most noting features of these coins are somewhat similar to the Gupta coins. The standing pose of the king and the depiction of the goddess behind are almost same. This shows the popularity of the Gupta coins and its excellence in the artwork. To see the Gupta coin click here.