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Drachm - Vigrahapala Sri Vigra dramma
| Issuer | Pratihara Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 778-883 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field depicts a highly stylized scene derived from the Gupta fire-altar and attendant type, showing two standing figures flanking a rectangular altar or pedestal, rendered in bold, schematic relief. Multiple large globular pellets are arranged along the upper field in a horizontal register, with a crescent or solar symbol visible above the altar. The composition follows the standard Pratihara dramma reverse iconography, with the figures reduced to abstracted outlines. A Brahmi legend reading 'Ma' appears as the issuer's abbreviated epigraph within the design. |
| Reverse script | Brahmi |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Pratihara Empire's silver dramma coinage belongs to a dynasty that controlled much of northern India during the period when Arab expansion from Sindh was actively pressing eastward. The Pratiharas were among the powers that checked that expansion — a fact that shaped their political self-presentation and, indirectly, the prestige coinage they issued. Vigrahapala ruled during a stretch of sustained Pratihara dominance before the empire's eventual fragmentation under Rashtrakuta and later Ghaznavid pressure.
Maheshwari's classification of this type as Fig. 121 places it within a series distinguished by specific epigraphic conventions on the issuer's name — details that matter considerably for attribution, as Pratihara drammas are frequently misidentified in trade.