Indian Gupta-style Coinage

Timeline

1. 501–530Pataliputra · IndiaIn the early 6th century, though the Gupta Empire still controlled the middle Ganges, central authority weakened; gold dinars still bore goddess Lakshmi seated on a lotus on the obverse and the ruler holding a bow or tending sacred fire on the reverse, with Sanskrit inscriptions recording the ruler's titles, but gold content had declined compared to the 4th–5th century peak.
2. 530–550Magadha · BiharAround the mid-6th century, Hephthalite invasions and increasing regional fragmentation left the Gupta central government nominal only; late rulers' gold coins shrank in size and purity, with some minted in copper alloy instead, reflecting rising fiscal and military pressures on the empire.
3. 550–600Vakataka · GujaratAfter the Gupta Empire's collapse, the Vakataka dynasty, later Gupta kings, and regional warlords continued minting Lakshmi-type gold and copper coins, retaining Brahmi-script Sanskrit inscriptions and classical iconographic conventions; such coins circulated in North Indian and Central Asian trade, providing a model for later dynasties' monetary systems.