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Purugupta was the son of Kumaragupta with his principal queen, the mahadevi Anantadevi. Whether or not he ever ruled is not known with certainty, and, if
he did rule, it is not known when he did so. Some authors believe he succeeded his father but was deposed or otherwise succeded by his half-brother Skandagupta. Others argue
that he ruled briefly after Skandagupta.
It is also not known if Purugupta issued any coins, and, if he did, which ones they are. There are a series of coins, currently being attributed to a king named Chandragupta III, that
seem to have been issued immediately after the reign of Kumaragupta I. Three such coins are illustrated below. I have recently written a
paper reviewing the coins of Chandragupta III and introducing some new varieities and types. In another related paper
, I have argued that this Chandragupta III was none other than Purugupta. Your comments on these papers would be most welcome (please use the "Contact" link on the
home page).
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Purugupta ? gold dinar, c. 451-55 ?
Weight: 7.83 gm, Diameter: 17-19 mm.
King standing left, holding an Indian long bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right
Garuda standard plus additional object (Chakra ?) at left,
Brāhmī legend under arm: Chandra, circular Brāhmī legend around /
Lakshmi seated facing on a stylized lotus in padmasana, holding lotus blossom and diadem,
Brāhmī legend at right: Sri Vikramah
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On this rare variety, there is an object, perhaps a chakra, in front of the king's face. The Guptas were worshippers
of Vishnu, and the chakra is an attribute of that deity. |
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Purugupta ? gold dinar, c. 451-55 ?
Weight: 8.28 gm, Diameter: 18 mm.
King standing left, holding an Indian long bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right
Garuda standard plus additional object (a crescent moon) at left,
Brāhmī legend under arm: Chandra, circular Brāhmī legend around /
Lakshmi seated facing on a stylized lotus in padmasana, holding lotus blossom and diadem,
Brāhmī legend at right: Sri Vikramah
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On this variety, there is a crescent moon in front of the king's face. |
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Purugupta ? gold dinar, c. 451-55 ?
Weight: 8.22 gm, Diameter: 19 mm.
King standing left, holding an Indian long bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right
Garuda standard plus additional object (a radiant sun) at left,
Brāhmī legend under arm: Chandra, circular Brāhmī legend around /
Lakshmi seated facing on a stylized lotus in padmasana, holding lotus blossom and diadem,
Brāhmī legend at right: Sri Vikramah
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On this variety, there is a radiant sun in front of the king's face. |
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