2016-11-21 Mon

We hope you keep checking our short & interesting articles on a regular basis. This article is dedicated to Gupta coin lovers.

While classifying types of Gupta coinage we usually see the obverse and then decide on what type does it belongs to.

For example the archer type, standard type, horsemen type, Ashvamedha type, tiger/lion slayer type so on and so forth, these types are all noted by its obverse depiction.

There are a few exceptions as always in the numismatic classification, the Kartikeya type gold Dinar coins of Kumaragupta I is one such example.

Here on the picture, the obverse depicts ruler Kumaragupta I feeding a peacock and reverse displays Lord Kartikeya seated on his vahana peacock with a spear in hand.

So, if we see the obverse we should ideally include it as a king & peacock type. However, we call it as Kartikeya type. The reason could be to popularize or experiment with new types or varieties of coins and also to show the religious acceptance of Gupta in the Northern Province (As the worship of Lord Kartikeya as a deity was widespread in the southern part of the country rather than the northern region).

A similar difference is also seen in the Madhyadesa type coin.

Please click here and start noting the difference. We will keep coming with many more interesting articles like these on a regular basis & thank you for reading.

Stay tuned and happy collecting!