History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.Campbell, James M.
History
History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.
Campbell, James M.
Gujarat (India) -- History
Chashtana is followed by an unbroken chain of successors all of
the dynasty of which Chashtana was the founder. As the coins of
Chashtana's successors bear dates and as each coin gives the name of
the king and of his father they supply a complete chronological list
of the Kshatrapa dynasty.
[Kshatrapa III. Jayadáman, A.D. 140-143.] Of Chashtana's son and
successor Jayadáman the coins are rare. Of three specimens found
in Káthiáváda two are of silver and one of copper. Both the silver
coins were found in Junágadh [94] but they are doubtful specimens as
the legend is not complete. Like Chashtana's coins they have a bust
on the obverse and round the bust an incomplete and undecipherable
Greek legend. The reverse has the sun and the moon and between them
the arched symbol with the zigzag under-line. All round the symbols
on the margin within a dotted line is the legend in Baktro-Páli and
Devanágarí. Only three letters raño cha ña of the Baktro-Páli legend
can be made out. Of the Nágarí legend seven letters Rájno Kshatrapasa
Ja can be made out. The remaining four letters Dr. Bhagvánlál read
Yadámasa. [95] The copper coin which is very small and square has on
the obverse in a circle a standing humped bull looking to the right
and fronting an erect trident with an axe. In style the bull is much
like the bull on the square hemidrachmæ of Apollodotus (B.C. 110-100).
Round the bull within a dotted circle is the legend in Greek. It is
unfortunate the legend is incomplete as the remaining letters which
are in the Skythian-Greek style are clearer than the letters on any
Kshatrapa coin hitherto found. The letters that are preserved are
S T R X Y. The reverse has the usual moon and sun and between them
the arched symbol without the zigzag under-line. All round within a
dotted circle is the Nágarí legend:
Rájno Kshatra(pasa) Jayadámasa.
Of the king Kshatrapa Jayadáman.
Though the name is not given in any of these coins, the fact that
Chashtana was Jayadáman's father has been determined from the genealogy
in the Gunda inscription of Rudrasimha I. the seventh Kshatrapa,
[96] in the Jasdhan inscription of Rudrasena I. the eighth Kshatrapa,
[97] and in the Junágadh cave inscription [98] of Rudradáman's son
Rudrasimha. All these inscriptions and the coins of his son Rudradáman
call Jayadáman Kshatrapa not Mahákshatrapa. This would seem to show
either that he was a Kshatrapa or governor of Káthiáváda under his
father or that his father's territory and his rank as Mahákshatrapa
suffered some reduction. [99] The extreme rarity of his coins suggests
that Jayadáman's reign was very short. It is worthy of note that while
Zamotika and Chashtana are foreign names, the names of Jayadáman and
all his successors with one exception [100] are purely Indian.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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