Item 75 out of 1313
Lot # 75 - Extremely Rare Gold One Dinar Coin of Kumaragupta I of Gupta Dynasty of Lion Slayer type.
Extremely Rare Gold One Dinar Coin of Kumaragupta I of Gupta Dynasty of Lion Slayer type.
Extremely Rare Gold One Dinar Coin of Kumaragupta I of Gupta Dynasty of Lion Slayer type. Extremely Rare Gold One Dinar Coin of Kumaragupta I of Gupta Dynasty of Lion Slayer type.
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Start Price 450000 Estimated Price 450000-550000
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Quick Description
DenominationGold Dinara MetalGold
Full Description:

 Gupta Dynasty, Kumaragupta I (Mahendraditya) (415-455 AD), Gold Dinar, "Lion-Slayer" Type, Obv: king, nimbate standing facing left, wearing waistcloth with sash flying behind, necklace, armlets and jewelry, legs widespread, holding a bow turning to draw in a "Parthian shot" at a lion which sprawls over backward, circular Brahmi legend "(Kumaragupto jayata) ajita", Rev: goddess Durga, nimbate seated facing on recumbent lion right, holding a lotus and an uncertain object (Mundamala) and an unusual five-point tamgha (like shivalingam) in the left field, Brahmi legend "Simha-Mahendrah" at right, 8.2g, 19.05mm, Unlisted type, (Variant of Altekar. Bayana Hoard # Pl. XXIX. 11-15), about extremely fine, Extremely Rare.

Note: Altekar in his Bayana hoard catalogue has described the object in Durga's hand as a 'Garland' but when he produced his corpus a few years later he offered the suggestion that the object was a Mundamala, popularly known as necklace of skulls worn by Shiva or Kali. So the goddess Durga here could be an avatar of the goddess Kali and such depiction of Mundamala is a possible example of Shivaite depiction on the Gupta coinage.