page_title: Kumaragupta I
section_title: Coinage
hierarchical_section_title: Kumaragupta I / Coinage
caption_attribution_description: English: Kumaragupta I circa 414-455 CE. Elephant-rider type. "Kumaragupta, who has destroyed his enemies and protected his client kings, is victorious over his foes", Kumaragupta as mahout on an elephant jogging at a brisk pace to left, an attendant holds a parasol over him / "The elephant of king Mahendra", the goddess Lakshmi, nimbate, standing facing on open lotus, holding lotus plant and cornucopiae; conch shell to right.
context_page_description: Kumaragupta I was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India. A son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and queen Dhruvadevi, he seems to have maintained control of his inherited territory, which extended from Gujarat in the west to Bengal region in the east.
  Kumaragupta performed an Ashvamedha sacrifice, which was usually performed to prove imperial sovereignty, although no concrete information is available about his military achievements. Based on the epigraphic and numismatic evidence, some modern historians have theorized that he may have subdued the Aulikaras of central India and the Traikutakas of western India.
  The Bhitari pillar inscription states that his successor Skandagupta restored the fallen fortunes of the Gupta family, which has led to suggestions that during his last years, Kumaragupta suffered reverses, possibly against the Pushyamitras or the Hunas. However, this cannot be said with certainty, and the situation described in the Bhitari inscription may have been the result of events that happened after his death.
context_section_description: Among the Gupta kings, Kumaragupta issued the largest varieties of coins. His 628 coins in the Bayana hoard belong to 14 different types.
  The varieties of his coins include the following:
  Archer type: Similar to the archer-type coins of Chandragupta II. The reverse legend reads Shri-Mahendrah. The coins appear in several varieties, with different obverse legends:
  Mahdrajadhiraja-Shri-Kumdraguptah ("King of kings, the illustrious Kumaragupta")
  Gunesho mahitalam jayati Kumarah ("Prominent in merit Kumara conquers the world")
  Vijitavanir avanipatih Kumaragupto divam jayati ("King Kumaragupta who has conquered the earth wins heaven")
  Jayati mahitalam Shri-Kumaraguptah ("The illustrious Kumaragupta conquers the earth")
  Jayati mahitalam Shri-Kumaraguptah sudhanvi ("The excellent archer, the illustrious Kumaragupta conquers the earth")
  Parama-rajadhiraja-Shri-Kumaragupta ("The illustrious Kumaragupta, the highest king of kings")
  Horseman type: Similar to the horseman-type coins of Chandragupta II, but the reverse of some of these coins features a new image, that of a goddess feeding a peacock, with the legend Ajita-Mahendrah ("Undefeated Mahendra"). The coins appears in several sub-types, with different obverse legends:
  Prithvital-ambarashashi Kumaragupto jayaty-ajitah ("The moon in the firmament of the earth, the invincible Kumaragupta is victorious")
  Jayati nripo ribhir-ajitah ("Victorious is the king who is never defeated by the enemies")
  Kshitipatir-ajito vijayi Kumaragupto divam jayati ("The unconquered and victorious king Kumaragupta wins the heaven")
  Guptakula-vyoma-shashi jayaty-ajeyo jita Mahendrah ("The unconquered and invincible Mahendra, who is a moon in the sky of the Gupta family, is victorious")
  Guptakul-amalachandro Mahendrakarm-ajito jayati ("The Spotless Moon [in the firmament] of the Gupta family, the invincible hero who is valorous as Indra, is victorious")
  Kshitipatir-ajito vijayi Kumaragupto jayaty-ajitah ("The invincible and victorious king Kumaragupta carries the day, being undefeated")
  Prithvi-taleshvarendrah Kumaragupto jayaty-ajitah ("The lord of the rulers of this earth, the invincible Kumaragupta is victorious")
  Swordsman type: A new type introduced by Kumaragupta. Bears an image of the king holding the sword, with a garuda emblem, and the legend Gamavajitya sucharitaih Kumaragupto divam jayati ("Having conquered the earth, Kumaragupta wins the heaven by his meritorious deeds"). The obverse depicts goddess Lakshmi sitting on a lotus, and bears the legend Shri-Kumaraguptah.
  Lion-slayer type: Similar to the lion-slayer-type coins of Chandragupta II. The reverse bears the legend Shri-Mahendrasimhaah or Simha-Mahendrah. The coins appear in several sub-types, with different obverse legends:
  Kshitipatir-ajita-Mahendrah Kumaragupto divam jayati ("Kumaragupta, unconquered Mahendra, the lord of earth, wins heaven")
  Kumaragupto vijayi simha-Mahendro divam jayati ("The victorious Kumaragupta, lion-like Mahendra, wins the heaven"")
  Kumaragupto yudhi simhavikramah ("Kumaragupta, who is as valorous in the battle as a lion")
  Sakshadiva Narasimho simha-Mahendro jayatyanisham ("Narasimha, as it were incarnate, the lion-like Mahendra is ever victorious")
  Tiger-slayer type: Similar to the tiger-slayer-type coins of his grandfather Samudragupta. The reverse side of Kumaragupta's coins feature a new image: that of a goddess standing on a crocodile, and feeding a peacock. The obverse legend reads Shriman vyaghra-bala-parakramah ("The glorious [king] whose prowess is like that of a tiger". The reverse legend reads Kumaraguptodhiraja.
  Elephant-rider: Shows the king riding a caparisoned elephant using a goad, with an attendant holding an umbrella over his head. The legend reads 'Kshataripu-Kumaragupto rajatrata jayati ripun ("Kumaragupta, who has destroyed his enemies and protects [subordinate] kings, is victorious over his foes." The reverse features goddess Lakshmi standing on a lotus, with the legend Shri-Mahendragajah ("The elephant of the illustrious Mahendra").
  Elephant-rider lion-slayer type: Similar to the elephant-
caption: Elephant-rider coin of Kumaragupta. Obverse legend: "Kumaragupta, who has destroyed his enemies and protected his client kings, is victorious over his foes".[35]
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