Lot 85

Ancient, Vardhanas of Thaneshwar, Harshavardhana (606-647 AD), Silver Dramma, 2.29 gms, 11.51 mm, Obverse: A beautiful portrait of king to left, a crescent on the head, Reverse: Fan tailed peacock at center, Late Brahmi legend around reading ‘Vijitava(niravanapati) Shri SiladityaDivamJayati’, The Vardhana (Pushyabhuti) dynasty of Thaneshwar was an early 7th-century ruling house of North India that rose to prominence after the decline of the Guptas, with its capital at Thaneshwar. The dynasty reached its height under Harshavardhana (r. 606–647 CE), who, after the assassination of his brother Rajyavardhana, unified much of North India and ruled from Thaneshwar and later Kannauj, controlling territories from Punjab to Bengal and from the Himalayas to the Narmada River. Harsha was a patron of learning and religion, supported both Hinduism and Buddhism, and is well known through the writings of Banabhatta and the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang; his death without an heir led to the rapid disintegration of the Vardhana empire., about very fine, very rare.