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Dinar - Samudragupta Lyrist Type
| Issuer | Gupta Empire (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 335-375 |
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| Value | Gold Stater (20) |
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| Obverse description | King Samudragupta seated in a relaxed posture upon an ornate couch or throne, depicted in profile facing left, playing the vina (a stringed instrument). The royal figure is shown in high relief with characteristic Gupta artistic elegance, adorned with jewelry and regalia. A nimbus or halo surrounds the king's head, emphasizing his divine status. The field bears a Brahmi legend reading 'Maharajadhiraja Sri Samudragupta,' proclaiming his imperial title. The composition is set within a beaded border and reflects the refined naturalistic style of Gupta gold coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | महाराजाधिराज श्री समुद्रगुप्तः |
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| Additional information |
Samudragupta's lyrist dinars are almost certainly the earliest coinage anywhere in the world depicting a ruler playing a musical instrument — and the choice was deliberate. Ancient Indian literary sources, including the Allahabad Pillar inscription composed by his court poet Harishena, explicitly praise Samudragupta's skill on the vina as evidence of cultivated kingship, not mere vanity. The coin type functioned as portable political biography.
BMC Gupta #52 places this within the standard lyrist series, though die-to-die variation in this type is considerable. The Gupta mint worked without the rigid die standardization of contemporary Roman or Sasanian production.