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Tetradrachm - Amshuvarman
| Issuer | Licchavi Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 615-620 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 13.33 g |
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| Obverse description | Winged lion passant to left occupying the central field, rendered in archaic South Asian style with stylized musculature and spread wings. A dotted border frames the entire design. The Devanagari legend reading 'Shryamshuvarmah' is inscribed above the main device in the upper field, identifying the issuing ruler Amshuvarman of the Licchavi dynasty. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A cow standing to right with a suckling calf beneath her, depicted in a simple but evocative pastoral style characteristic of early Nepalese coinage. The scene occupies the central field and alludes to the sacred Kamadhenu, the divine wish-fulfilling cow of Hindu tradition. A Devanagari legend reading 'Kamadehi' is inscribed above the bovine group in the upper field. The coin shows typical surface patination and irregular flan associated with hammered copper issues of the Licchavi period. |
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| Additional information |
Amshuvarman ruled the Licchavi kingdom of Nepal as a powerful minister-turned-king, consolidating authority during a period of intense political maneuvering between the subcontinent's competing powers. His coinage is among the earliest definitively attributed to the Kathmandu Valley and reflects an administrative ambition that outlasted his dynasty.
The tetradrachm denomination itself is a Greek-derived unit that arrived in the subcontinent via Kushana monetary tradition — its survival into seventh-century Nepal speaks to how durable that numismatic framework proved across centuries of political upheaval.