Catalog
Drachm
| Issuer | Maitraka dynasty |
|---|---|
| Year | 470-788 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 2.4 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Highly stylized fire altar depicted frontally at center, flanked by two attendant figures in a schematic rendering derived from Sasanian fire-altar types. The altar shaft and flame are rendered as bold raised lines, while the flanking figures are reduced to abbreviated geometric forms. The lower portion of the field is filled with a row of arc or pellet devices representing the base or plinth of the altar. A Brahmi legend appears in the field, much degraded through repeated die-copying, consistent with Maitraka coinage of the later period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Maitrakas ruled from Valabhi in present-day Gujarat, establishing one of western India's most durable post-Gupta kingdoms after breaking from Gupta authority around 470 CE. Their silver drachms derive directly from late Gupta coinage conventions, themselves adaptations of Western Kshatrapa issues — a lineage of imitation stretching back through multiple centuries of regional monetary habit. Valabhi's destruction, traditionally dated to around 788 CE and attributed to an Arab raid, effectively ends the dynasty and closes the series.