King Visvasena Pre-Gupta Western Kshatrapas (Kardamaka Dynasty) Silver Drachm Coin

Western Kshatrapas, Kardamaka Dynasty, King Visvasena (c. 292-304 CE), Denomination: AR Drachm, Composition: Silver, Weight: 2.04 grams, Diameter: 13.5 mm, Reference: Zeno Coin Database #312599, About Very Fine, Rare.

Obverse: Profile bust of King Visvasena facing right, featuring a distinctive hairstyle and royal portrait, surrounded by a circular legend in a degraded Greek-style script.

Reverse: Three-arched hill (Chaitya) at the centre, with a crescent moon and Sun above and a wavy river line below. The surrounding Brahmi legend in Prakrit reads: “Rajno Mahakshatrapasa Bhartrdamaputrasa Rajnah Kshatrapasa Visvasenasa.”

Visvasena was a ruler of the Kardamaka dynasty of the Western Kshatrapas, which controlled important territories across Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Malwa. He belonged to the later line of the dynasty and is generally dated to approximately 292-304 CE. His coinage continued the established Western Kshatrapa tradition of depicting the ruler’s portrait on the obverse and religious and astronomical symbols on the reverse. The inscriptions also preserved the ruler’s genealogy and royal titles, providing valuable historical evidence about the succession and political authority of this Saka dynasty in western India.

Coinage Note: This silver Drachm of Visvasena belongs to the later coinage tradition of the Western Kshatrapas. Its Brahmi inscription identifies him as the son of Bhartrdaman and records his title as Kshatrapa. The reverse features the characteristic Chaitya hill, crescent, Sun, and river motif, while the obverse displays the ruler’s right-facing portrait. Such dated and inscribed silver issues are important historical records of the Kardamaka dynasty and its monetary tradition.