2015-11-18 Wed

The Rhinoceros Slayer Type coins were a new addition to the sport series made by Kumaragupta. He was the only king to issue these coins. None of his successors are known to have revived this type. These coins were first discovered in 1947 CE in the Bayana Hoard from which four specimens were identified by A.S. Altekar. The fifth was purchased by Lucknow Museum in 1948 CE. The Rhinoceros type is unique and of high artistic merit.

The obverse depicts the king riding a horse and attacking a rhinoceros with a sword. The legend is metrical and makes a pun on the word - kha?ga – which means both, rhinoceros and sword. It reads – Bhart? kha?gatr?t? Kum?ragupto jayatyani?a?. It translates to ‘Ever victorious is the Lord Kumaragupta who is protector by the sword (kha?gena tr?t?) from the Rhinocerous (kha?gat tr?t?). The legend is in Upag?ti metre. The reverse is quite unique. It depicts a goddess with a female parasol-bearer standing behind her. The goddess is being offered a lotus by the snout of an elephant-headed crocodile on which she is standing. All coins are issued to the standard weight of 127 grains.

On the obverse, the king is bare-headed, with flowing, frizzled locks (alaka) on his head. He rides a caparisoned horse which is galloping to the right. The king is shown wearing a buttoned coat and trousers. He is seen leaning forward to attack the rhinoceros with the sword he is holding in his right hand. The horse looks frightened while the rhinoceros stands at bay, turning its head back to attack. Its mouth is open. The rhinoceros is engraved beautifully and realistically. The horn on its head, its left eye, and the ears, the circular spots on its body, the tail and its feet can be seen clearly on the coins. The full circular legend reads – Bhart? kha?gatr?t? Kum?ragupto jayatyani?a?.