VAuctions
Triskeles Sale 25 28 Sep 2018
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A rare bull type of Skandagupta, a numismatic innovation started by him late in his reign, that replaced the normal Garuda symbol that had hitherto appeared on the reverse with a Nandi bull. The Gupta emperors were devotees of Vishnu, so this change from a Vaishnavite symbol to a Shaivite symbol probably coincided with the decline of imperial power in Gujarat. The emperor may have found it necessary to shore up local alliances to keep the invading Huns at bay. If the local elites were devotees of Shiva, changing this symbol may have seemed a small price to pay to cement their loyalty.