RAS question
Which Gupta ruler is depicted playing the veena on his gold coins?
Correct answer: (B) Samudragupta.
Samudragupta is the Gupta ruler depicted playing the veena on his gold coins.
Explanation
Samudragupta is associated with the 'Lyrist' type gold coin. Museums of India records a Gupta gold coin whose obverse shows a king seated and playing a lyre or vina, with the legend naming Samudragupta in Brahmi script. The reverse also carries the legend Samudragupta. His gold coins depict him as a veena player, reflecting his association with music and the arts, which is also connected with the cultural image preserved in the Allahabad Pillar inscription. The coin's image and legends point specifically to Samudragupta, not merely to the Gupta period in general.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The obverse and reverse legends on the Lyrist coin name Samudragupta, not Chandragupta II.
- (C) The vina-playing king on this Gupta gold coin is linked to the Samudragupta legend, not Kumaragupta I.
- (D) The coin's legend reads Samudragupta, not Skandagupta.
Concept
Gupta-period cultural history often uses coin evidence because coins combine political identification with visual clues about royal image-making. Samudragupta's Lyrist type links a named ruler with a distinctive numismatic image rather than only with the Gupta dynasty.