2017-05-10 Wed

The Shahis of Kabul ruled the region of Gandhara and Kabul from 565 to 879 CE. They followed Buddhism till 870 CE and later on they adopted Hinduism and were known as Hindu Shahi. They shifted the capital from Kabul to Ubhandapur.

Kallar was the first Hindu Shahi ruler (870 AD) who is supposed to be a Brahmin. Jayapal was one of the well-known rulers of the Hindu Shahi and fought bravely against Mahmud of Ghazni.

Coming to their coinage there are two main types ; Bull and Horseman type and Elephant and Lion type. The metals used were silver, copper, bronze and billon. So far only one gold coin is known.

The most interesting thing is that we find inscriptions on the coins but only of the military commanders and chief commanders ( Spalapati Deva, Samanta Deva, Vakka Deva and Mahttha Deva).

The given picture is one of the Silver Drachma of Hindu Shahi coin weighing around 3.21 grams. The obverse of the coin depicts the recumbent bull facing left and having legend ‘Sri Samantadeva’. The reverse bear's Horseman facing right and holding something in his hand and legend ‘Bhi’.

Well… does this picture remind you of something? Or have you seen this type of coin?

Yes, you might have because Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Muhammad Bin Sam, Iltutmish and Razia Sultan are known to issue the similar Bull and Horseman type coins. This is called the Numismatics Continuity.