Lot 188

Hindu Medieval, Hindu Shahis of Kabul, Bhimadeva (c. 10th Century AD), Gold Unit, 4.33 gms, 17.53 mm, Obverse: Aseated bearded person (king?) withlong sigmoid tuft of hair, wearing a uttariya (stole) which runs across hisshoulders and entwines his arms, seated cross-legged on throne, stretching his right hand forgiving out an indistinct object, towards a manclad in dhoti and standing to his right, withhis hair in a bun, left hand of king akimbo andresting on thigh, symbols of Diamond and Trishul seen between the king and the man, legend above reading in Sharada script as ‘brāhmaṇaśāhishribhīma deva’, Letters ‘go’ and ‘njo’ between legs of throne, Reverse: Two persons seated on a high platform, with the person at right perhaps the king, with a peaked beard, sporting a sigmoid tuft, wearing the sacred thread and a neckornament, clad in dhoti,seated in padmasana pose on a decorated seat, with right hand raised and palm open inwards,while left hand, akimbo, rests on thigh, to the right of the king is a lady seated cross-legged,her right hand akimbo andresting on thighand inher left hand holds a long stalk of a flower or a sash, legend above reading in Sharada script as‘śrītyaṅgaṇadeviśrisāmanta deva’, This coin is one of the enigmatic gold issues of early medieval India. As is clear from the coin’s legend, this coin was issued by the Hindu Shahi ruler Bhimadeva who was a Brahmin. Kalhana, the author of Rajatarangini, mentions that king Bhima lived in the city of Udabhāṇḍa and that he is the predecessor of king Jayapala. As pointed out by Bhandare, the Shaivite trident seen on the obverse suggests the king’s Shaivite affinity which is further corroborated by Jayapala’s Hund inscription. Al-Biruni’s Tarikh al-Hind also sheds some light on the Hindu Shahi rulers including Bhimadeva, Reference: Gold Coins of the Hindu Shahi King Bhimadeva, JONS 255, Shailendra Bhandare, very fine, extremely rare with only few pieces known.