2017-12-26 Tue

Rashtrakuta was the royal dynasty that ruled over the regions of south Gujarat, Maharashtra and north Karnataka in the Indian subcontinent between 6th to 10th centuries CE. This dynasty was founded by King Dantidurga, yet there are many references to the kings from same dynasty ruling before Dantidurga. Early Rashtrakuta kings were the feudatories of the Badami Chalukyas. Rastrakuta had many branches ruling within the kingdom. Their coinage plays a vital role in deciphering these branches but due to the scarcity of the coins, one cannot reach an exact conclusion.

The coinage of Rashtrakuta is studied by many historians and numismatics, few of the coins of Krishna I, Dhruva, Karka I and Govinda IV are identified. The coins which consist unidentified titles are difficult to pinpoint, most of the Rashtrakuta coins bear these kinds of titles. The titles Subhatunga and Gunatunga were the common titles of Rastrakuta kings.

The coins bearing these tiles depicts bust of the king facing either left or right and reverse side depicts title inscribed in the Brahmi script. The above shown silver dramma depicts the tile ‘Gunatunga’. This type of coin was issued in two units, the dramma and half dramma in terms of its weight. Dramma weighed 0.44 grams and half dramma 0.29 grams.

The coinage of Rashtrakuta is complex, it can be related to the scarcity of their coinage. However, Rashtrakuta coins need a proper study and research.

To know more about Rashtrakuta coins click here.