In the history of ancient Indian coinage there are several cointypes which were very succesfull and were used over a long period and a large area by different dynasties. Examples of these are the Bull and Horseman Jitals and the Gadhaiya Paisa. For gold coins the trade standard in Northern India for a long timeperiod were the Lakhsmi Staters. On one side these show the sitting deity Lakshmi, in various stages of abstraction. The other side gives the name of the ruler in Devanagari script. This coin type was introduced by the indigenous Hindu rulers, but even continued after the invading Muslim armies of Muhammad Bin Sam had taken over control over a large part of Northern India. The coin below was issued by the Rajput Chandela dynasty. This ruled a region in the central part of Northern India from the 9th to the end of the 12th century. Over the centuries their power had ups and downs. At times there was major expansion. At other times the Chandelas were forced to be feudatories of different neighbouring powers. This coin is a quite early example of the Lakshmi coinage. The image of the deity is still fairly naturallistic. It was issued under the rule of Sallakshana Varman, who ruled between 1100 and 1110 AD. AV, 19mm, 4.1 grams.
When I clicked on the title, I thought someone had posted in the wrong section. Glad to see that wasn't the case. Very attractive coin!
