22 A. C. Carlleyle— CozMs of tlie Sunga or Mitra Dynasty. [No. 1, 



whom the greatest number of coins are found in a hoard, may be accepted 

 as being either the latest, or the contemporary king, of the dynasty, at the 

 time when the hoard was buried or lost ; while the king of whom the fewest 

 and most worn coins are found may be accepted as the earliest, in point of 

 time, of the series. But a similar numerical proportion of coins of differ- 

 ent kings may, sometimes, also have been brought about by accidental 

 circumstances ; and therefore we must, in all cases, be guided by the older 

 or later forms of the alphabetic characters, which appear in the legends on 

 the coins. 



But if we follow the rule enunciated above, in a general sense, with 

 sufficient judgment and discrimination, we may apply it in the present case. 

 Thus, as the coins of Bhiimi-mitra are the most numerous, in propor- 

 tion, in the hoard found at Ramanagar, we may suppose that he was the 

 latest king of the dynasty, at the time when the hoard was buried, and that 

 the hoard was buried during his reign. 



In like manner, as the coins of Phaguni- mitra are the next in j^oint 

 of number, to those of Bhiimi-mitra, — or in fact nearly equalling them, — 

 and were, at the same time, far in excess of the coins of any of the other 

 kings, we may conclude that Phalguni-mitra, was the immediate prede- 

 cessor of Bhumi-mitra. 



The coins of Agni-mitra and Bhanu-mitra follow next behind, in 

 numerical proportion. But as the coins of these two kiugs are nearly 

 equal in number, it becomes difficult to decide which of them was prior to 

 the other. There is, however, one marked distinction about the coins of 

 Bhanu-mitra and that is, that the central symbol, of the three symbols 

 above the name, is always punched into the coin, with a square punch ; and 

 the symbol in this square punch-mark depression is generally a repetition 

 of the raised symbol to the right of it ; while on the coins of other kings, 

 the central symbol is generally different from either of the other two. Now 

 this central square punch-mark depression I have also found on a few coins 

 of Surya-mitra, who, from the greater rareness of his coins and the rather 

 more antique form of the alphabetic characters of the legend, I consider to 

 have been a predecessor of Bhaau-mitra, — and from these two kings' coins 

 having the square punch-marked depression in common, I should say that 

 Bhanu-mitra must have been the immediate successor of Surya-mitra. 

 Agni-mitra must therefore be of later date, and should probably follow 

 immediately after Bhanu-mitra. 



The coins of Bhadra-ghosa are the fewest and the most scarce of 

 all. And the alphabetic characters of the legend, are of an older type 

 than on any of the other coins, and more nearly approach the forms of the 

 old Lat character of Asoka. Moreover the large coins of Bhadra-ghosa 

 are very much worn, so much so that the legend is blurred and indistinct. 



