How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not at all noticeable in later times?. (UPSC GS Paper 1 2016)
The Gupta gold coins also known as Dinars are the most extraordinary examples of numismatic and artistic excellence. The coins in general depicted the ruling monarch on the obverse while the reverse depicted the figure of a goddess.
The Gupta coinage became a forerunner for the dynasties and kingdoms to come thereafter. Gupta coinage reached the height of metallurgy and iconography. They portrayed the deities with Indian attire and with lots of grace. Unlike their predecessors, the Guptas did not confine the images of emperors only to martial poses.
They also depicted socio-political events such as the marriage of the king and queen, the king performing Ashvmedha Yagya, the king playing Veena, etc. In the post-Gupta period, the continuous internal feud kept the kingdoms fragmented and the treasury in a poor state.
Hence coins were minted in metals of inferior quality usually nickel, copper, and lead. Dynastic coins were minted and demonetized in haste because of frequent coups and succession. Prohibition of idolatry in Islam severely limited the scope of inscribing motifs and images in the coins of the Delhi sultanate and the Mughal Empire.
British Indian coins were monotonous in design with textual information of coin denomination and year on one side and a portrait of the king or queen on the other. After independence, the king’s portrait was replaced by the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar and other indigenous motifs of sovereignty and freedom. Therefore the excellence of the Gupta numismatic art largely remains absent in the latter times.
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