A Fresh Assessment of Gopacandra in The Light of Numismatic Evidence

This paper reviews the dynasty of Gopacandra on the basis of his two unpublished gold coins which are preserved in the reserve collection at the Bangladesh National Museum. The authors suggest that the coins’ legend ‘Gopa’ may clearly be attributed to Gopacandra, a post-Gupta king of ancient Vanga sub-rigion (janapada), whose identity has already been determined by the epigraphic records. The paper concludes with an observation that Gopacandra probably ruled over some parts of Gauda, Rada and Orissa and was the most powerful king among the post-Gupta rulers.