The collapse of the Gupta dynasty in the fifth century as a result of foreign invasions from the north-west marked the end of the Gupta golden period, which was most visibly represented in sub-continent coinage. During the post-Gupta period, many regional coinages were issued, most of which had little aesthetic value and were coined in inferior metals such as billon (silver and copper). The period is seen as a time of numismatic decline in terms of circulation, with fewer coins discovered in coin hoards. This article will explain to you the Post Gupta Period Coins which will be helpful in Ancient History preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Decline of Gupta Empire

• During the Empire's reign, a period formerly known for its inventiveness in art, literature, and building began to deteriorate.
• This time was rife with Pushyamitra and Huna invasions, which, along with intra-territorial disturbances, resulted in a significant loss of imperial control.
• The monarchs who succeeded Skandagupta struggled to manage the massive kingdom that was rapidly disintegrating.
• The costs of the empire's continual conflicts depleted the royal coffers and harmed ordinary trade and commerce.
• Naturally, the breakdown of their political and financial supremacy had an impact on their art and culture. This decrease is most noticeable in the quality of their currencies.
• The lustre of the Gupta gold coins began to fade, and they were increasingly produced in base metals with very little gold or silver content.
• Furthermore, the early monarchs' diversity of creative currency designs were quickly limited to a basic Archer Type coin of the later rulers.
• The handwriting of the legend, as well as the workmanship of the coin design, were harmed.
• There was also a general scarcity of money as a result of falling internal commerce and the weakness of a powerful central government.
• The newly established independent and self-sufficient local entities, known as 'Shrenis,' also led to a steep drop in the number and quality of later Gupta coinage.
• As a result, it is not an exaggeration to state that the degree of brilliance of Gupta numismatic art deteriorated in later periods.

Post Gupta Period Coins

• From around 530 CE to 1202 CE, empires like the Gurjaras, Pratiharas, Chalukyas, Paramaras, and Palas can be classified as having Indo-Sassanian themed coins.
• The front of these coins featured a simplified geometric bust of the governing royal, and the reverse had a symbol resembling a fire altar.
• The Guptas were briefly displaced by the Huns or Indo-Hepthalites, who attacked and conquered the country's western regions via the Kabul-Kandahar road.
• Toramana, the Hun leader, minted silver and copper coins modelled after the currency of North-West Indian Sassanid monarchs.
• He also issued silver coins modelled after Gupta coinage, but with the king's head turned to the left and 'Toramana Deva' engraved on the reverse.

Indo-Sassanid coin

• On the front of Toramana's Indo-Sassanid coins is a typical bust of the King facing right, and on the reverse is a Sassanid fire altar with Gupta Brahmi texts.
• Toramana reigned over the Malwa area until 510 A.D, when his successor, Mihirkula, was pushed off the island by the combined armies of Narasimha Gupta 'Baladitya' and Yashovarman of Malwa in 528 A.D.
• He conquered Kashmir and struck coins bearing the Sassanid inscription 'Jayatu Mihirkula' in Brahmi on the reverse.

Post Gupta Period - Regional coinage

• Regional coinage remained heavily inspired by Gupta coinage; in Bengal, two monarchs, Samachar Deva and Jayagupta, created debased gold coins imitating Gupta archer type coins with a Bull standard on the coins.
• The reverse depicts Lakshmi reclining on a lotus, implying that Samacharadeva succeeded Vishnu Gupta as the final Gupta king in the middle of the sixth century.
• Sashanka, the king of Gauda and an adversary of the Maukharis of Kannauj and their famed ally, Harshavardhana, issued the second significant currency from Bengal.
• On the obverse, there is a depiction of Shiva reclining on Nandi, while on the reverse, there is an image of Lakshmi seated on a lotus surrounded by an elephant.

Sashanka coinage

• At the beginning of the seventh century, Harshavardhana, the ruler of Thaneswar, a small principality near Kurukshetra, ruled over all of North India.
• Harsha was a strong supporter of the arts, Buddhism, and so forth. During his four-decade rule, however, Harsha did not issue any new coins.
• Instead, he opted to imitate Kumaragupta's 'Eastern peacock' style, with the king's picture oriented to the left.

Conclusion

The Gupta period is regarded as ancient India's "Golden Age." During this period, major universities developed in Nalanda and Taxila, India produced contributions in various fields such as mathematics, science, astronomy, religion, and so on. During the Gupta period, the classic narrative stories of Panchatantra, the immensely popular Kama Sutra, and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata were written. The lustre of the Gupta gold coins began to fade, and they were increasingly produced in base metals with very little gold or silver content.