Copper coins of Ramagupta are very rare. With the discovery of the hoard of 24 coins illustrated below, a new type has come to light.
Garuda Type Lion Type Asvamedha Type
RAMA GUPTA COPPER COINS
A new hoard of Ramagupta coins Ramagupta was either the brother or the elder son of Samudragupta, who attempted to take over as king at the end of the reign of Samudragupta but was outsmarted by Chandragupta II.While no gold coins have ever been found of Ramagupta, from time to time, some copper coins have come to light.The largest hoard of Ramagupta coins to date was found in Madhya Pradesh and it consisted of 24 copper coins. This group included twenty one coins of the lion type, three coins of the Garuda type and a lone coin of the Asvamedha type1.
The weights range from 0.5 g to 1.8 g.The variation in the weights is no doubt due to the deterioration of the coins from oxidation over time. GARUDA TYPE:The three coins of this type in this hoard all show the Garuda bird on the obverse and the legend Ramagupta on the reverse.
RAMA GUPTA LION TYPE COINS
LION TYPE:The obverse of these coins shows a lion in full splendour, standing, facing left, with a full mane, and a big, curled tail held high, on the right.The reverse shows the legend as Ramagupta, Ramaguptah or Ramaguptam.
RAMA GUPTA ASVAMEDHA HORSE TYPE COIN
ASVAMEDHA TYPE:This lone coin in the hoard features a sleek horse facing left and represents the first Asvamedha coin discovered so far.The design features a Yupa on a tapered base, with pennons flying over the head and body of the horse.The horse is standing on a platform.
This design is very similar to the Asvamedha coins of Samudragupta, who was most definitely his contemporary. Weight of this coin is 0.6gm and legend on the reverse is Ra Ma Gu .
Published in Oriental Numismatic Society Newsletter - October 2010.
