1836.] Early Hindu Series of Coins. 653 



or Cashmir, then we must turn our view in seeking the focus whence 

 they were issued, and fortunately we have authentic lists of the so- 

 vereigns of some of these places to consult. 



But first to enumerate the coins : — 



Fig. 18. A gold coin (Stacy) weight 120 grs.* deserves to he 

 mentioned first, because the workmanship is nearest in perfection — 

 in imperfection we might rather say, — to the ' nano rao,' or ' Ardok?'o' 

 original. The legs of the couch, cornucopia, and drapery, are well 

 defined. The raja on the obverse has his trident standard, and his 

 right hand outstretched as over the fire altar, but the altar is omitted. 

 Under the right hand of the raja, both in this coin and in figs. 16 

 and 20, occur the letters TO pasa either side by side as in 1 6, or su- 

 perposed as in 20. Under the left arm, which is elevated to hold a 

 spear, is another perpendicular combination of two or three conso- 

 nants, apparently ^ 3T, and ^ with the vowel v e. The same mono- 

 gram (or rather polygram) continues through the whole series. I 

 formerly took it for a sword handle, which it exactly resembles when 

 the lowermost letter is hid. 



Fig. 20. (Stacy) the next best in execution, has the letters ^15 

 Sri Kri. . . . visible on the left of the female. 



Fig. 19. (Tregear : — duplicate, Cunningham) continues the 

 word ; ?iiTT'Sinj Krigodhdya P or Kribhodhdya. 



Figs. 1 6 and 17 of my cabinet have the letters 'sfttV^. . . . Sri 

 Visva. ... or Vikha on the former, and tj^T. . . . Pasala. . . (or perhaps 

 Visala ?) on the latter. 



Numerous other specimens in gold might be enumerated, — but 

 they generally contain even less satisfactory fragments of names than 

 the above. All that can be positively asserted is that the letters are 

 Sanscrit, and, on these at least, of the same alphabet as that we have 

 designated No. 2 of the Allahabad lath. 



The silver coins of this second series are much more scarce than 

 the gold and copper ones. — The three I possess, represented in figs. 

 1 , 2, and 3, appear also to be of a very debased standard, and to be- 

 long to a much later period. None of them retain more than the 

 rudest semblance of the raja figure — and still less of the goddess ; — 

 the latter has even been taken for a dagger, the former for a scorpion ! 

 The letters also are of a more modern formation, not differing much, 

 from those of the tenth century, found at Sdrndth and other places. 

 Captain Cunningham first pointed out to me the words ^tsfrTTT Sri 

 Pratdpa. ... on figs. 1 and 2. 



* The weight of all these coins is nearly the same, heing in fact the di- 

 drachma of the Greeks. 



