Catalog
Stater - Sri Harsharuka
| Issuer | Sindh Kingdom (Indian states) |
|---|---|
| Year | 550-650 |
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| Composition | Gold (Debased) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Brahmi |
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| Reverse description | A fire altar depicted centrally, flanked by two attendant figures, a composition directly derived from Sasanian numismatic iconography as adapted by the rulers of Sindh. A Brahmi legend identifying the issuing ruler appears in the field adjacent to the altar. The overall design is boldly struck but somewhat irregular in outline due to the hammered flan. |
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| Additional information |
The Sri Harsharuka staters of Sindh belong to a poorly documented but monetarily significant tradition of debased gold coinage produced as the Gupta imperial system fragmented across northwestern India. The debasement itself is historically telling — successive rulers across the Sindh region progressively diluted gold content through the sixth and seventh centuries as tribute networks collapsed and access to pure metal became unreliable.
Attribution within this series remains contested. "Sri Harsharuka" may reference a local ruler otherwise absent from epigraphy, which is not unusual for Sindh in this period.