Marudhar Arts
Auction 23 24-25 Feb 2018
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Gupta Dynasty, Kumaragupta I (Mahendraditya) (415-455 AD), Gold Dinar, "Lion-Slayer" Type, Obv: king, nimbate standing facing left, wearing waist cloth with sash flying behind, necklace, armlets and jewellery, legs wide spread, holding a bow turning to draw in a "parthian shot" at a lion which sprawls over backward, circular brahmi legend incomplete ("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.
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 the possible example of Shivaite depiction on the gupta coinage.
(450000-550000)
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 the possible example of Shivaite depiction on the gupta coinage.
(450000-550000)