136 V. A. Smith —Gold Coins of the Imperial Giq)ta Dynastp. [No. 2^ 
The only Gnpta kings who appear in the coin devices as monnted 
on horseback are Chandra Gnpta II and his son Kninara Gnpta Mahendra. 
In the later coins of Prakasaditya the device consists of a horseman 
slaying a lion or dragon, bnt the execntion of the design is very poor. 
The rare Lancer coins of Chandra Gnpta II are designed and 
executed with considerable freedom and spirit. The device may be an 
imitation of the very similar device on certain Macedonian coinSy 
transmitted throngh intermediate channels.The rayed tnrban or hel¬ 
met of the king in one specimen (At. Ant. XVIII, 17) was perhaps 
snggested by the rayed head of Antiochns Epiphanes.f It is noticeable 
that a crescent is found in the field, either on obverse or reverse, of 
each of the fonr Lancer coins known to me. 
The Horseman to Left coins of Chandra Gnpta II, which are also 
very rare, resemble generally his Lancer coins, bnt the horse is turned 
to the left, the lance is wanting, and there is no crescent in the field. 
Kumara Gupta Mahendra copied both these types of his father’s 
coinage, but with some modifications. His Horseman to Bight coins 
correspond with his father’s Lancer coins, the lance being omitted, and 
his Horseman to Left coins differ from the closely similar coins belonging- 
to his predecessor chiefly in the insertion on the reverse of the peacock, 
the especial emblem of Kumara Gupta. J 
The fact that Chandra and Kumara Gupta used indifferently dies 
in which the horseman was turned to left or right is worth noting, 
because a change in the direction of an obverse head oli the coinage has 
sometimes been regarded as an indication of a change of dynasty.§ 
In some specimens of the curious Lion and Horseman coins of 
Prakasaditya a small bird-standard is seen over the horse’s head. The 
meaning of the character below the horse in this type, which seems to be 
intended for ^ ‘ u’, is not known. 
I am well aware that the foregoing account of the types and devices 
of the Gupta gold coins is far from being complete and satisfactory, but 
it is the best that I can give at present, and may prove the means of 
stimulating further research. The attribution of the several disj)uted 
types is discussed in the Catalogue. 
^ For snoli Macedonian coins see Mionnet, PI. LXX, 8, and Tresor de Numis- 
matiqne (Pois Grecs), PI. VIII. 
t Catalogue of Seleucid Coins, Pis. XI and XII. 
J Cf. “ That King gave birth to a son, even as did Kara to the rider of the 
peacock (soil. Kartikeya or Kumara the god of war). Forward in battle and re¬ 
nowned strength, this son was named Kximara Gupta.” (Aphsar inscription of later 
Chiptas, line 7 : in J. A. 8. B. XXXV, Ft. I, p. 273). 
§ Records of the Gupta Dynasty, p. 51, with reference to Toramai^a’s coins. 
