Gupta Empire, Chandra Gupta II (375-415 AD), Gold Dinar, 'Couch' type, Altekar var. C, 7.74g.
Obv: Nimbate, barebodied king, wearing dhoti, necklace and ear-ornaments, seated in frontal pose on a high-backed four-legged couch or Manchaka, admiring a lotus bloom held in his right hand, while the left hand rests on the seat; Brahmi legend Deva Shri Maharajadhiraja Shri Chandragupta(sya) around.
Rev: Nimbate goddess, seated frontally on a throne, wearing ornaments and a thin upper-body garment or Uttariya depicted with delicate folds, resting her feet on a wide lotus-shaped pedestal; she holds lotus in one hand and makes a gesture of benevolence (Varadamudra) with the other. Small tamgha is visible in the left field.
About Extremely Fine, Exceedingly Rare.
An exceptionally rare type amongst the broad range of Gupta gold coinage.Altekar mentions one piece each in the collection of the British Museum, Lucknow Museum, Indian Museum (Calcutta) and the Prince of Wales Museum (Bombay). The Bayana hoard had three specimens reported in it.It shows the King seated in a pose classically described as Rajaleela-Āsana. The depitction is realistic and executed in a supple style so typical of sculptures of the Gupta period.
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