1885.] W. Theobald — Symbols on Gupta Gains. 7 



coined money. It is recorded of him that " he forbade the use of the 

 coin struck by king Bala and largely circulated the dinaras coined by 

 himself" (see J. C. Dutt's Translation, p. 38). Now the coins No. 1 

 are clearly those of Mihirakula. About him it is said that he was de- 

 feated by Baladitya. The coins No. 5, with tora on them, may be ascribed 

 to Toramana, and the notice that " he forbade the coins of king Bala " 

 may be a reminiscence of the fact that he re-struck the coins of Mihira- 

 kula, as shown by the present collection. In favour of the ascription of 

 the tora coins to Toramana, it may be mentioned, that in the Society's 

 collection there is a copper-coin closely resembling the present ones, 

 which prefixes §t sri to tora (=it^TT) . If this is correct, the letters Sf 

 pra on the ohv. may perhaps be read as an abbreviation of Pravarasena, 

 the name of his father. Further the coin No. 8, with Ha or Hara on 

 it, may be ascribed to Toramana's elder brother Hiranya ; and since 

 No. 8 is only a variety of the anonymous coins Nos. 6 and 7, it is pro- 

 bable that all the coins, Nos. 6 — 8, are those of Hiranya. It would seem 

 (so far as one may allowed to judge from the evidence of the present col- 

 lection,) that till the time of the two brothers Hiranya and Toramana, 

 the money of Mihirakula still formed the common currency of the 

 country ; and that Hiranya sparingly, but Toramana more extensively, 

 began to supersede it by re-striking the pieces with their own emblems. 



Mr. Fleet remarked that the coins were Kashmiri coins, and that, 

 according to all historians, Toramana succeeded Mihirakula. The latter 

 came from the North West and established his kingdom in the Panjab. 

 He attempted to destroy Buddhism, but was defeated by Baladitya, 

 and after several vicissitudes gained possession of Kashmir. The former 

 came long afterwards and was imprisoned for issuing coins without 

 authority. He died immediately after being delivered from prison. 



The following paper was read : — 



On certain Symbols or devices on the Gold Coins of the Guptas. — By 

 W. Theobald, M. N. S. L. 



(Abstract.) 



The author refers to Mr. V. A. Smith's paper on the Gupta 

 coinage, published in the Society's Journal, Part I of 1884, and offers 

 what he believes to be not only a new, but perhaps a more correct, 

 interpretation of three of the symbols which occur on the Gupta coins. 

 These are, the "fillet" (or "noose"), the " cornucopiaB " and the 

 "footstool." Mr. Theobald contrasts these symbols with similar ones 

 which occur on Bactrian, Indo- Scythian and other coins, and arrives at 

 the conclusion, that on the Indian coins they clearly represent peculiarly 

 Indian ideas, wholly different from those which they admittedly repre- 



