Post-Gupta Coinage

The collapse of the Gupta dynasty in the fifth century under the pressure of foreign invasions from the north-west led to the demise of the golden age of Guptas reflected most conspicuously in the coinage of the sub-continent. The post-Gupta period saw various regional coinages which were poor in terms of artistic value and minted in baser alloys like billon (silver and copper). The period is seen as a period of numismatic decline in terms of circulation with fewer coins found as coin hoards (buried treasures).

The Guptas were temporarily replaced by the Huns or the Indo-Hepthalites who invaded and occupied the Western parts of the country via Kabul-Qandahar route. Toramana, the Hun leader issued silver and copper coins fashioned on the coins of Sassanid rulers of North-West India; he also issued silver coins based on Gupta coinage turning the king's head to the left and with ‘Toramana Deva’ inscribed on the reverse.

Toramana’s Indo-Sassanid coins have a typical bust of the King facing right on the obverse and a Sassanid fire altar with Gupta Brahmi legends on reverse. Toramana ruled over Malwa region till 510 A.D. but his successor, Mihirkula was driven off Malwa by the joint forces of Narsimha Gupta ‘Baladitya’ and Yashovarman of Malwa in 528 A.D. He captured Kashmir and issued coins based on the Sassanid standards with ‘Jayatu Mihirkula’ engraved in Brahmi on the reverse.

Regional coinages continued to be highly influenced by the Gupta coinage; in Bengal, two kings, Samacharadeva and Jayagupta issued debased gold coins resembling the archer type of Guptas with a Bull standard on the coins. The reverse has Lakshmi seated on a lotus suggesting that Samacharadeva replaced the last Gupta ruler, Vishnu Gupta in the middle of the sixth century.

The next major coinage from Bengal was by Sashanka, the king of Gauda who was the rival of Maukharis of Kannauj and their famous ally, Harshavardhana. The coins have images of Shiva reclining on Nandi on the obverse and Lakshmi seated on lotus flanked by an elephant on the reverse.

At the beginning of the seventh century, the entire North India came under the sway of Harshavardhana, the ruler of Thaneswar, a small principality near Kurukshetra. Harsha was a great patron of arts, Buddhism etc. However, Harsha did not initiate any new coinage in his four decade reign. Instead, he chose to copy the ‘Eastern peacock’ type of Kumaragupta with the king’s portrait turned to left.

Top two images: Debased gold tanka of Shashanka of Gauda
Middle two images: Billion coin of Toramana
Last two images: Silver coin of Harshavardhana (Shiladitya) styled on Kumaragupta's peacock type
IMAGE COURTESY: NATIONAL MUSEUM, NEW DELHI

The Story of Indian Money – Part IX The Age of the Guptas (A.D. 320-550)

North India witnessed the rise of the Gupta dynasty in the early fourth century of the Christian era with the rise of Chandra Gupta I (r. 320 -335 A.D.) at Pataliputra in 319-20 A.D. aided by his marriage to an influential Licchavi princess, Kumaradevi, an alliance which helped him overcome his regional adversaries.
His successor, Samudra Gupta (r. 335 – 380 A.D.) took the empire to further heights by invading Central and South India and annihilating all neighbouring kingdoms on the way. Apart from his coinage, Samudra Gupta’s martial exploits are well-documented as inscriptions on the famous Prayag Prashasti (Allahabad Pillar) by his friend and court-poet, Harishena.
Samudra Gupta was also the chief architect of a prolific coinage in gold for general usage and began his reign by issuing a commemorative coin in honour of his parents’ marriage with the image of a couple with Brahmi legends ‘Chandra’ and ‘Kumaradevi’ in Gupta Brahmi script. The reverse of the same coin has the legend ‘Licchavya’ commemorating the Licchavi allies of the regime.
Samudra Gupta also initiated a new gold coin prototype, named the ‘standard type’ coin by modern numismatists, which was emulated by all later Guptas. The coin has the king’s profile on the obverse making an offering at the fire altar with his right hand. The coin also has a Garuda standard (Vaishnavite symbol) on the right with a legend written vertically below the king’s left arm in Chinese fashion. This prototype is the biggest pointer to the coinage’s derivation from Kushan coinage. The reverse has Goddess Lakshmi’s image with all attendant paraphernalia like cornucopia, lotus, etc. inspired by Kushans’ use of Ardoksho.
The Gupta coins also continued the Kushana practice of using the Western weight system of drachms (each dinar weighing around 8 gm) till Skanda Gupta (c. A.D. 455-467), the last of the Great Gupta replaced it with a heavier Indian standard known as Suvarna weighing around 9.2 g.
Another Gupta innovation was the use of Sanskrit meter legends on their coins with inscriptions in Gupta Brahmi with use of Visarga which enhances the last alphabet’s phonological effect by echoing it. This unique alphabet is seen on many Gupta coins showing the use of Sanskrit on their coins

Samudra Gupta was a prolific coin issuer and issued six different types of coins apart from the standard type, viz. the archer type, the battle axe (Parashu) type, tiger slayer type, Ashwamedha type and King-Queen type to showcase his martial achievements. He also issued the ‘Lyrist’ (Veena player) type to exhibit his gentler side.
Samudra Gupta’s illustrious son, Chandra Gupta II (Vikramaditya) (380 - 415 A.D.) further enhanced his father’s achievements by annihilating the Western Kshatrapas and went on to issue a silver coinage for his Western regions specifically fashioned after Western Kshatrapa coinage. His reign was the most prosperous of all rulers as is apparent from the predominance of his coinage in hoard findings.
Kumara Gupta I (Mahendraditya) (r.415-455 A.D.) ruled the Gupta Empire at its zenith; he issued a record fourteen types of coins, the largest by any Gupta emperor! He re-introduced the ‘Tiger slayer’ and ‘Lyrist’ types issued by his grandfather, Samudra Gupta and issued newer types like ‘Rhinoceros slayer’ ‘Peacock rider’ (Karttikeya), ‘Apratigha’ (Parents crowning him), etc.
Skanda Gupta (r. 455-467 A.D.) was the ‘last of the Great Guptas’ and braved the attacks of Hunas from the North vanquishing them. He issued many beautiful types especially the King-Lakshmi type where Goddess Lakshmi bestows victory upon the king.
But the Gupta Empire could not withstand the Hunas’ continued onslaught after his death in 467 A.D. The later rulers like Buddha Gupta (467 - 487 A.D.), Narasimha Gupta (Baladitya), Kumara Gupta II continued to fight till the last Gupta ruler, Vishnu Gupta (r. 540-550 A.D.) was confined to Kannauj as a local ruler.
Thus, the Gupta coinage set high standards in terms of quality and artistic beauty that brought Indian coinage at par with the coinage of other classical cultures like the Roman Empire, the Sassanid Empire of the Middle East and the Han dynasties of China. The Guptas also set an example for all later rulers who tried to issue similar coins in the post-Gupta period, an influence which was seen till the later day Mughal era in the sixteenth century as gold ashrafis of Akbar and Jehangir!

Featured: Samudra Gupta's Standard Gold Dinar with the epithet 'Parakramah' (with visarga on reverse) also see illustration of Sanskrit Visarga at bottom

Story of Indian Money – VIII - The rise of Deccan and Tamil Nadu (300 B.C. - 225 A.D.)

Ancient South India was divided into two culturally and politically distinct regions of Dakshinapatha (Dakshina Sanskrit ~ Dakhina Prakrit ~ Dakhan Persian ~ Deccan English) and Tamil Desha (modern Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala).

The Satavahanas (Andhras) began their rule as vassals of Mauryans and after the Mauryan decline in 180 B.C. as vassals to their successors, the Shungas (185 B.C.-75 B.C.) and the Kanvas (75 B.C. - 25 B.C.) The Satavahanas saw series of upheavals under around 30 kings listed in the Puranas such as gain of Ujjain after death of the last Kanva king, Susharman probably assassinated by his Satavahana vassal and the loss of Ujjain to Shakas later; the loss of Western India to Shakas and gain of newer territories in Andhra Pradesh and Western Maharashtra under Gautamiputra Satakarni.

Their history as per numismatics is divided into an early and late phase with different type of regional coinages. The early phase coinage is marked by use of base metals to mint coins which had the legend ‘Satavahana’ or ‘Satakarni’ inscribed in Prakrit language using Brahmi script as ‘Satakanisa’ or ‘Sata’ with an animal or stupa image on the obverse with a typical symbol called ‘Ujjaini symbol’ (consisting of a cross joining four circles) on the reverse.

The late phase had a brilliant coinage in silver beginning under Gautamiputra Satakarni
(107 A.D. – 130 A.D.) who expanded the Satavahana realm further south and came in conflict with the Western Kshtrapa ruler, Nahapana defeating him and usurping his kingdom in 125 A.D. Gautamiputra’s silver coins were inspired by the Western Kshatrapa coinage and have the king’s portrait on the obverse with Prakrit legend written in Brahmi and the Ujjain symbol with the three-arched hill with crescent on the reverse with early Telugu legends in Brahmi. The legends have matrilinear names of the king like Gautamiputra, Madhariputra, Vasisthiputra, etc. indicating a matriarchal society.
This trend of silver portrait coins were continued by his successors, viz. Vasisthputra Pulumavi (131 A.D. – 159 A.D.), Vasisthiputra Shiva Satakarni (159 A.D. – 166 A.D.) till the last effective Satavahana emperor, Yajna Sri Satakarni (r. 167A.D. – 196 A.D.)
Vasisthiputra Pulumavi also introduced a unique lead coin with the portrait of a
double-masted ship indicating the importance of maritime trade for generation of revenue for Satavahanas as well as the technological advances made by Indian seafarers.

Another feature of Satavahana coinage arising from archaeological excavations has been the discovery of different types of local coinage in base metals issued by Satavahana rulers for various cities like their western capital Pratisthana (Paithan), Newasa (Ahmednagar district), Junnar, etc. These findings indicate that Satavahanas issued a baser coinage for local use to supplement either the Mauryan Karshapanas that continued to be used long after their issue or Roman gold coins that have been found in large quantities in South India as the primary currency. Other areas beyond Satavahanas’ western empire (parts of modern Maharashtra (Kolhapur region), Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh) were ruled by local administrators appointed by Ashoka known as Mahaarathis (Maharashtriyas), Mahaatalavaras and Mahaasenapatis who set up their own kingdoms and began issuing their own coinage around second century B.C. These feudatories were subdued by Gautamiputra Satkarni in the middle of 2nd century A.D. and brought under the Satavahana rule.
Thus, a Maharathi family called Sadakana issued their coins from Banavasi (Mysore-Kanara region), another family called Anandas also issued a typical lead coinage with images of a six-arched hill with Brahmi legends with King’s name on the obverse and a tree-in-railing and Nandipada (a symbolic representation of Shiva’s vehicle Nandi) from Karwar.

The Tamil Desa was divided into three regions ruled by separate dynasties, the Pandyas (Central Tamil Nadu), Cholas (eastern Tamil Nadu) and Cheras (Kerala and parts of Coimbatore and Salem districts) in the last three centuries before Christ. The coins used in this region were Mauryan Punch-marked coins which were supported later by Pandyan Punch-marked coins as evident by finding of a hoard that has worn-out Mauryan coins along with newer Pandyan coins in Bodinayakanur in Tamil Nadu in nineteenth century.
The Pandyan punch-marked coins had a reverse stamp of stylised fish that became a heraldic symbol for the Pandyans and weigh only 1.5 gms (about half of Mauryan Karshapana) with five distinct symbols on the obverse.
The earliest Chera coins are in copper with a heraldic symbol of ‘bow and arrow’ and other side has an elephant carrying a standard.
Cholas issued square copper coins with images of a standing tiger with upraised tail and without inscriptions.
However, after the beginning of the Christian era, Tamil Desha saw a huge influx of Roman silver and gold coins due to the Indo-Roman spice trade. Pliny the Elder, famously lamented about this vicious trade that drained Roman gold into India. These coins were converted into local coinage by deeply incising the Roman Emperor’s portrait and counter-striking them with local symbols.
Thus, South India had its own trajectory in terms of the growth of monetary medium. It retained its characteristic individual nature when it came to the medieval and early colonial period as we shall see later.
Images: Top Incised Gold Aureus of Roman Emperor Caligula (Image courtesy British Museum)

Two images of coins of Vasisthiputra Pulumavi silver portrait coin and lead two masted ship coin Image courtesy: wikipedia.org

Image of Pandyan Punch-marked coin with image of stylized fish on reverse Image: National Museum, New Delhi

(To be contd.)

The Story of Indian Money VII Coinage of Western Kshatrapas

During the period of Kushan domination of the North-Western region, the Central, Western and Southern parts of India came under the sway of the descendants of the Shakas called Western Kshatrapas (by modern historians) in the Central and West India and the Satavahana dynasty in the West and South India.

The Western Kshatrapas (35-405 A.D.) ruled parts of Saurashtra, Kutch, Malwa, Sindh beginning in the year 35 A.D. The first two rulers, Aghudaka and Bhumaka continued the Indo-Greek style of coinage with bilingual scripts of corrupted Greek and Brahmi along with Greek symbols like Arrow and Thunderbolt and Greek deities on their coins.
Later rulers beginning with Nahapana (r.119-124 A.D.) issued a distinct silver coinage with his portrait. Nahapana had an epic struggle with the Satavahana ruler, Gautamiputra Satakarni who defeated Nahapana in 124 A.D. and counterstruck his coins with Satavahana imagery.
Nahapana’s territories were recovered in 130 A.D by another Kshatrapa ruler, Chastana who began his reign with a new coinage that was emulated by all his successors till the end of the dynasty in 4th century A.D. after its conquest by Chandra Gupta II, the Gupta emperor who conquered Western India.
The coinage has a typical portrait of the king facing right with corrupt Greek legends on the obverse and the reverse has a three-arched hill surmounted by a crescent and a wavy line below and a sun on its right. The Brahmi inscription is in Sanskrit language replacing Prakrit which was used on all earlier coins. Thus, the Western Kshatrapas despite their foreign origin, signalled their total integration with Indian culture by using Sanskrit on their coinage!
The Western Kshatrapas progressed to using dates in Shaka era beginning in 78 A.D. for the first time under the Kshatrapa ruler Rudrasimha I making it the first Indian coinage to do so and hence its exact dating is possible.
The Western Kshatrapa coins also use two types of titles viz. Kshatrapa and Mahakshatrapa depending on the King’s stature/achievements and detail the patrilineage of the king.
For e.g. Chastana’s illustrious grandson, Rudradaman I (r. 130-150 A.D.) issued a coin with the title read as “Rajno Kshatrapasa Jayadamaputrasa Mahakshatrapasa Rudradamasa’ in Brahmi script translated as Kshatrapa Jayadaman’s son Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman. The titles, Mahakshatrapa and Kshatrapa are also used to denote the king and the crown prince as many kings have coins with both titles issued by them. These features have thus helped numismatists trace the exact lineage of the Western Kshatrapas with exact dates.

However, the most interesting aspect of Western Kshatrapa coinage is the ‘counter-marking war’ between Western Kshatrapa Nahapana and Satavahana ruler Gautamiputra Satakarni in the 2nd century (c. A.D. 118-124) when Gautamiputra Satakarni seized Nashik region in Maharashtra from Nahapana and counter-marked his coinage in the area with the symbol of the Satavahanas, the Ujjaini symbol (a set of four circles joined by a cross at the centre) to mark his conquest over the Shakas! These coins were found in a very large hoard found in Jogalthembi in Nashik district making it clear that the area was under Satavahana domination

Featured: Top 2 Images: Nahapana's copper coin
Middle 2 Images: Mahakshatrapa Rudrasena II Silver coin
Bottom 2 Images: Coin of Nahapana counterstruck by Satavahana Gautamiputra Satakarni
Images courtesy: American Numismatic Society, New York

(To be continued)

The coinage of foreign invading tribes (135 B.C. – 250 A.D.) Part VI

The Indo-Greeks declined first in Bactria because of hordes of foreigners like Shakas (Indo-Scythians), Pahlavas (Indo-Parthians) and Kushans who took over their territories. The Shakas snatched Bactria from its last Bactro-Greek ruler, Heliocles around 135 B.C. and later spread to the Indian territories of the Indo-Greeks. Two lines of Shaka invaders are known from their coins in India, one called Vonones ruling Baluchistan (Gadrosia) and Kandahar (Arachosia) and the other dynasty under Maues (Moga?) around Indus region in Punjab.
Maues issued coins in silver and copper with Indian and Greek images like a copper coin with elephant’s head on obverse and a Greek symbol, Caduceus on the reverse. He introduced elements of his nomadic past by introducing a silver coin with the image of the king on a horse with spear that became the prototype of all nomadic coinage issued later.

The Kushans rose from a Central Asian tribe called Yuezhi by the Chinese sources and lorded over a huge kingdom stretching from Bactria to as far as Mathura in North India. The Kushans began their tryst with India under Kujula Kadphises (r. 30-80 A.D.) around 45-60 A.D.
Kujula issued a coinage in copper on the lines of last Indo-Greek ruler of India, Hermaeus with the title ‘Koshano’. He introduced a distinct coin with images of an Indian bull and a Bactrian double-humped camel with Kharosthi and Bactrian legends. He was briefly succeeded by his son/successor, Vima Takto (80-90 A.D.) who issued a nameless coinage with the title ‘Soter Megas’ (Great saviour).
However, his successor, Vima Kadphises (90-100 A.D.) changed the paradigm of Indian coinage by introducing gold coinage for the first time. His coinage, probably fashioned after Roman gold coinage pouring into India through Indo-Roman trade, was issued as double dinara, dinara, half dinara and so on. The coins portray the king as an elderly stocky bearded man dressed in a long coat with huge boots in various poses like seated on a low couch or cross-legged on a lump of clouds/rocks or standing at a sacrificial altar or riding a horse carriage. Vima Kadphises’ coins feature the first images of Shiva with his bull, Nandi on the reverse with Kharosthi inscriptions.
He was succeeded by the most famous Kushana ruler, Kanishka I (100-127 A.D.?) who was content with being portrayed in the ‘standing-sacrificer’ pose but used images of Indo-Aryan, Greek, Iranian and even Sumero-Elamite deities, demonstrating wide syncretism in his religious beliefs. Kanishka's coins began his reign by issuing coins with Greek deities with Greek inscriptions.
His later coins use the Bactrian language with a corrupted Greek script (using the letter Ϸ to represent sh as in the word 'Kushan' and 'Kanishka') and the Greek deities were replaced by Persian deities. Later he included Indian deities like Lakshmi (called Ardoksho, a Bactrian name) Shiva (Oesho ~ Eeshwar) , Parvati, Karthikeya (Mahaseno) and Buddha (Boddho) on his coins and issued them from his twin capital cities Purushpura (modern Peshawar) and Mathura which were under Kanishka’s direct rule.
Kanishka’s successors Huvishka I and Vasudeva I continued his style of coinage till the Kushan dynasty was routed by local rulers at the beginning of the third century. The Kushans were thus responsible for the introduction of gold coins into the sub-continent with richer imagery of both the kings and deities that inspired later rulers.

The Story of Indian Money V

The most important interaction of Indian civilisation in the Mauryan and post-Mauryan era was with the Seleucid Empire whose founder Seleucus Nikator (r. 305 B.C. - 281 B.C.) was a general (Diadochi) under Alexander the Great. He took over large parts of Alexander's domains after the latter's death and founded his own vast empire covering the Eastern parts of the Macedonian Empire in 305 B.C.
Seleucus also came in conflict with the first Indian Emperor, Chandragupta Maurya in the North-Western part of the Indian sub-continent when he was defeated by the young Indian emperor who had to be appeased with a Greek bride.
The Seleucid Empire covered a vast area stretching over the Near East and regions of the Asian part of the earlier Achaemenid Persian Empire. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.
However, the Seleucids were reduced to a minor role by the rise of the Romans in Europe and the Parthians in the East under Mithridates I when they were reduced to a small area around modern Syria.

The Seleucids continued the Hellenistic traditions of coinage which featured the image of the king on the obverse with the image of Greek deities on the reverse. I came across this coin in the Todywalla Auctions' collection which was initially attributed to Alexander the Great with the legend 'BASILEUS ALEXANDROU' in Greek script.
However the reverse image of the deities was very unique with the Toddywalla coin having the image of Zeus holding Nike, the God of Victory in contrast to Alexander of Macedon's coins with the image of Hercules holding an eagle.
Hence, I deduced that the coin had to be Seleucid which led me to consult Ms. Amelia of the British Museum who opined that it was a tetradrachm issued by Alexander II Zabinas II of the Seleucid Empire.
Zabinas was a false Seleucid who claimed to be an adoptive son of Antiochus VII Sidetes, but in fact seems to have been the son of an Egyptian merchant named Protarchus. Antioch, Apamea, and several other cities, disgusted with the tyranny of Demetrius, acknowledged the authority of Alexander. He was used as a pawn by the Egyptian king Ptolemy VIII Tryphon, who introduced Zabinas as a means of getting to the legitimate Seleucid king Demetrius II, who supported his sister Cleopatra II against him in the complicated dynastic feuds of the latter Hellenistic dynasties.[1]

Zabinas managed to defeat Demetrius II, who fled to Tyre and was killed there, and thereafter ruled parts of Syria (128 BC-123 BC), but soon ran out of Egyptian support and was in his turn was defeated by Demetrius' son Antiochus VIII Grypus.

Zabinas fled to the Seleucid capital Antiochia, where he plundered several temples. Interestingly, he is said to have joked about melting down a statuette of the goddess of victory Nike which was held in the hand of a Zeus statue, saying "Zeus has given me Victory". Enraged by his impiety the Antiochenes cast Zabinas out of the city. He soon fell into the hands of robbers, who delivered him up to Antiochus, by whom he was put to death, in 122 BC.
The name 'Zabinas' means "the purchased slave", and was applied to him, deprecatingly, in response to a report that he had been bought by Ptolemy as a slave.

The Indian link to Seleucids was through Diodotus I who revolted against the Seleucids and found the kingdom of Bactria in Central Asia in 250 B.C. which soon grew into the Indo-Greek kingdom stretching from Central Asia to modern Punjab between two clans of Indo-Greek dynasties.

Featured: Right Top Silver Tetradrachm of Alexander of Macedon with image of Hercules and the eagle Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Centre Bottom: Silver Tetradrachm of Alexander II Zabinas with image of Zeus holding Nike on the reverse Image Courtesy: Todywalla Auctions

Story of Indian Money Part IV

Post-Mauryan period of Indo-Greek influence (180 B.C. – 55 B.C.)

The Mauryan Empire which ruled large parts of the Indian sub-continent as a central authority declined around 180 B.C. leading to the fragmentation of the country’s polity into successor states that were based on tribal allegiance, older clans, oligarchies and newer trade guild states.
However, another political development was the emergence of a strong Greek state called Bactria around 250 B.C. north of Hindu Kush which spread to North-western India around 180 B.C. under King Demetrius I. This led to the founding of a new kingdom referred as the ‘Indo-Greek Kingdom’ by modern historians.
The 30-odd Indo-Greek kings, who issued India’s first coinage based on Classical Greek coinage, are known by their coins only. Their coins were generally struck by employing the Western ‘die-striking’ technique and had the portrait of the ruler on the obverse with inscribed titles of the ruler along with the image of a Greek deity on the reverse.
Demetrius I issued a unique coin with his portrait with an elephant’s scalp on his head portraying after the subduing of the Indians under their local ruler, Sophagasegnus (Shubhagasena?) in Kabul valley in 180 B.C.
Demetrius went on to issue a bilingual coinage using Greek script on obverse and North-Western Indian script of Kharosthi on the reverse; making it the first Indian coin inscribed in a local Indian script. His successors, Agathocles and Pantaleon who ruled the kingdom jointly issued a bilingual coin using Greek and the North Indian script of Brahmi which was prevalent throughout the Indian sub-continent since Ashoka’s period when he used it on his famous pillars to issue his edicts on Buddhism throughout his realm.

The Indo-Greeks also introduced a new weighing system called the Attic system which used multiples of 4 grams instead of the ratti system. Their coins were more sophisticated and circular in shape; using real life portraits of the rulers in conjunction with images of deities to confer legitimacy on the rulers.

The Indo-Greek coinage influenced later Indian rulers to use portrait images and deity images to convey their religious beliefs to the common public. Agathocles issued a bilingual coin with the images of Vasudeva and Sankarshana (Krishna and Balarama) on either side making it the first Indian coin to feature Indian deities!
Thus, the Indo-Greek numismatic legacy lingered in the Indian sub-continent for a long time as later Indian kings used the Indo-Greek prototype of the portrait of the king on the obverse and a favoured deity on the reverse for their coinage inspired by the example of the Indo-Greeks who were in turn inspired by their Mediterranean counterparts.
The bilingual script on coinage was also adapted by later foreign rulers like the Kushans to convey their regal authority over their subjects in a vernacular language and script. This concept has prevailed till modern times as the coins of Republic of India have legends in both Devanagari used to write India’s national language Hindi and Roman for English!
Thus, the Indo-Greek period left an indelible mark upon the numismatic traditions of the Indian sub-continent long after the disappearance of the Indo-Greek kingdom.

Images: Left Obv: Menander's Portrait with Greek legend 'Basileus Soteroy Menander' 'King Saviour Menander'
Right Rev: Image of Zeus with thunderbolt and incomplete Kharosthi legend 'Maharajasa Tratarasa..

Image courtesy: National Museum, New Delhi, India