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| The Virtual Museum of Indian Coins |
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 | | Pāla: Dharmapāla
Gold dinar, c. late 8th or early 9th century CE
Weight (incl loop): 7.59 gm., Diam: 21 mm., Die axis: 12h
King riding horse left, brandishing spear
Animal (lion or boar?) at left, standard before king
Devanagari legend: Srimān Dharmapāla, kailavo (?))/
Lakshmi seated facing on a single lotus,
at top left: Sri |
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This extremely important coin is the first known coin of the great Pāla king, Dharmapāla. The Pālas were perhaps the most important dynasty to have ruled eastern India, particularly Bengal, and Dharamapāla has been called “one of the greatest kings that ever ruled in Bengal.” Buddhist art reached new heights under Pāla patronage (the Pāla rulers were themselves Buddhist) and Pāla art is said to have had profound influence on art throughout east and south-east Asia. For more on this coin, please see my paper which appeared in the Numismatic Chronicle, 2006.
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