1836.] Early Hindu Series of Coins. 647 



(?) like that of the Raja and eagle standard, repeated on the Samudra 

 coin (fig. 12,) and at a later period on a coin of Skanda-gupta 

 (fig. 24, of Plate XXXIX. Vol. IV.) with a change of costume. 

 The Raja's name on this coin is disposed in two perpendicular lines 



one on each side of the spear \* Chandra-gupta — the second line, 



not very clear in Col. Stacy's coin, is quite distinct in Mr. Tregear's, 

 which reached me just too late to be substituted in the engraving. 

 On the reverse, the cornucopia lady is seated on a sleeping lion — as 

 if to express ' all will go on prosperously if ye rouse not the wrath 

 of your ruler.' — On the left hand are the words Tj^f^r : in the ancient 

 character. The upper prolongation of the p, perhaps, indicates an 

 anuswara, and thus the reading may be "q^TSf : Panch-chhavayas, ' the 

 five excellencies;' to wit, of a king. — There is a fault in orthography, 

 however, here, as in the legend of Ghatot kacha : the words should be 

 written tj^j ^q : Pancha-chhavayas. Whether the word chhavaya, 

 ' light,' may have any allusion to the five luminaries of the Mithraic 

 worship ; the sun, the moon, fire, Jupiter, and Venus, it is impossi- 

 ble to say : — but that a king should possess five virtues, we learn from 

 various Hindu authorities. 



Fig. 16. An unique in Captain Cunningham's collection from 

 Gaya. The female of the reverse having in the last quitted her Gre- 

 cian seat, has been here installed in one of a more genuine Hindu 

 character — the lotus flower. There is a peculiarity also in her at- 

 titude, both hands being turned up, and the elbows resting on the 

 knees. The legend is unfortunately cut off. On the obverse, how- 

 ever, to the left of the usual Raja, we have in very conspicuous 

 letters superposed in the usual style <|fflPC : Kumara — proving that 

 this is a coin of Kumara-gupta, the successor of Chandra- 

 gupta the second, and thus far in accordance with the Bhitari 

 monument. Lieut. Cunningham has another of the same prince, of 

 quite a different type, (described in Vol. IV. page 637,) but what 

 confirms Kumara's succession to Chandra the second, is, that there 

 are devices common to the two which belong, as far as our researches 

 yet go, to no others, — as if on the accession of the new prince the 

 mint had continued the preceding device, mutato nomine, until an- 

 other was subsequently selected by the rising monarch. (See figs. 27 

 and 28, Plate XXXIX. Vol. IV.) 



Figs. 17 and 18. For our acquaintance with the owner of the 

 next coin in our series we are entirely indebted to Lieut. Cunningham. 

 He first extracted his name from the BMtari-ldth inscription, — and 

 subsequently traced it on these two unique coins in his own, and on 



