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1193, Medieval India, Gahadavalas (Rathors) of Kanuj. Gold Stater Coin. 3.93gm!

Mint Period: 1114-1193 AD Denomination: Gold Stater (Dinar) Reference: Mitchiner NIS 494-496. Condition: Crudely struck, otherwise about XF for issue! Diameter: 20mm Weight: 3.93gm Material: Gold!

Obverse: Four-armed Lakshmi seated cross-legged on lotus.

Reverse: Three line Brahmi legend in Nagari script: 'Shrimad-Govindachandra'.

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. Representations of Lakshmi (or Shri) are found also in Jain and Buddhist monuments, with the earliest archeological representation found in Buddhist monuments. Lakshmi is the goddess of the means to achieving objectives, including prosperity in the lives of mankind. She is the consort of Vishnu and married Rama (in her incarnation as Sita) and Krishna (as Rukmini and Radha).

The Gahadvala or Gaherwar were a Hindu Rajput dynasty who ruled the kingdom of Kannauj for around a hundred years beginning the late 11th century.

The founder of the Gahadvala dynasty was Chandradeva, who took control of Kannauj at the end of the 11th century, filling the political vacuum that had been created after that city was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018. Chandradeva soon expanded the kingdom to include Delhi, Ayodhya, and Varanasi (Benares). During the rule of his successor Govindachandra (1114-1154), the Gahadvala state reached the pinnacle of its power, occupying much of present-day Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Govindachandra moved his capital from Kannauj to Varanasi. His queen Kumaradevi was a devout Buddhist, and Govindachandra was a patron of both Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries.

Govindachandra's grandson was Jai Chandra or Jaichand, whose daughter Samyukta's elopement with Prithviraj III, heir to the rival Chauhan Rajput kingdom to the west, is the subject of many romantic tales. Jaichand was destined to be the last Gahadvala king of Kannauj. The city was sacked by Muhammad of Ghor in 1194; Jaichandra subsequently drowned in the Ganges; his kingdom conquered.