130 Dr. Hoernle — On new Bactrian and Gupta Coins. [April, 



margin ^T« 'R® VJT* para. ma. hJiaga ; along the right hand margin 

 5(ftT'* 1?i" pravirah Gupta. The obverse is imperfectly struck ; it looks 

 as if the coin slipped on the die ; most of the letters appear double, 

 slightly overlapping each other; still they are all tolerably distinct, 

 except Jiff gupta, the ^ _p of which is wanting. The marginal legend 

 consists of abbreviated words, which I take to be in full paramahhdgavata- 

 pravirah Chandra Guptah, i. e., " The most devoted worshipper of Vishnu, 

 the mighty Chandra Gupta." The circle is a well-known mark of 

 abbreviation ; its being used three times would seem to indicate three 

 abbreviated words ; but the first circle may be redundant ; otherwise 

 the phrase might he paravia-mahd- (or maJiad-) hhdgavata. 



Bev. King and queen sitting on a couch, facing each other. The 

 king sits on the right side, right leg drawn up on the couch, and his 

 right hand holding up and apparently showing to the queen a cup, shaped 

 somewhat like a modern shallow champagne glass. The queen sits on 

 the left-side margin of the couch, with both legs down, supporting 

 herself with the right arm on the corner of the couch, and her left 

 arm a-kimbo. Both figures are dressed in lower garments (dhoties), the 

 king in short ones reaching to above the knees, the queen in long 

 ones coming down to below the knees. Both wear jewels in their hair 

 and ears, also bracelets, the king also a necklace, and the queen anklets. 

 There is a sort of corona round the king's head. The scene seems to 

 represent a drinking bout, similar to what may be seen on old Buddhist 

 sculptures. On the margin, behind the queen, ^ 1% sri vi, similarly 

 behind the king, TfiW' hramah ; that is, ^ f^^??: S'ri Vikramah. 



It is doubtful whether this coin should be attributed to Chandra 

 Gupta I. or Chandra Gupta II. The only point, however, which really 

 seems to favour the attribution to the latter king, is the reverse legend 

 S'ri Vihramah, which has hitherto been only found on coins of that 

 king. The words parainahhdgavata (if correct) have also been met with 

 on coins of the same king (see J. A. S. B., vol. LIII, pp. 180, 182). 

 But another, and more striking peculiarity points rather to an older 

 date for the coin, and to Chandra Gupta I. as its issuer. The king's 

 figure on the obverse has a decidedly antique look. It closely resembles 

 that on the early coins of the so-called Ghatotkacha, and of Chandra 

 Gupta 1. (ibid., plate II, figs. 1 — 4). The reverse device of ' King and 

 Queen', too, has hitherto been only observed on coins of Chandra Gupta I. 

 and of Skanda Gupta (see ibid., pp. 129, 171). If the coin should 

 be attributed to Chandra Gupta II., we must assume that, on some 

 of his coins, he reverted to the more antique obverse device of his early 

 predecessors. On the other hand, as hitherto only one type of coin (King 

 and Queen) of Chandra Gupta I. has been discovered, it is impossible 



