Drachm - Vigrahapala Proto Sri Vigra dramma ND

Reverse

Fire altar is flanked by two female attendants, wearing necklaces; their lower bodies are solid resembling skirts; hands towards the altar have merged with the altar and hands towards the border are shown hanging.
Fire is made up of dots, ending in lines.
The border is similar to that on the obverse.

Edge

Plain

Comment

Track 3 of Indo-Sassanian Coinage - Eastern Indo-Sassanian coinage - Imperial Pratihara Empire 

The Pratiharas - Proto Sri Vigra - tentative period CE 778 - 883 CE 

The placement of Sri above the head on the Proto Sri Vigra coins, follows the pattern of the previous series Sri Ma coins (link below), thus making these a successor.

Also, the motifs in this series have a close iconographical resemblance to the next in series Sri Vigra & Sri Vi coins.   

Thus this series is placed between Sri Ma and Sri Vigra.

The coins can be classified into two types, with the first type further divided in two varieties -  

Sketches and few sample coins - 

Type 1 variety a

Fig 116a                                                                                                                                                                                            Another variant with some degradation 

Type 1 variety b – the main differences between variety a and b –

Obv: larger ear and border dots are not joined

Rev: attendants become simple line drawings with the lower part of the body featuring only legs 

Fig 116b

Type 2

Obv: The bust becomes cruder, nose straightens with a dot at the end; below this dot are three more dots representing lips and chin; eye is in a socket in the face area. The crown becomes a flat line. The motifs behind the bust take shape of a flower with a triangle above it. Border is a series of dots joined by a line.

Rev: Cruder as compared to Type 1. Horizontal lines with dots represent flames; altar is a thick pillar framed by a line of dots. Attendants are shown as thick bodies with legs. Border is made up of dots with no line joining them.  

Fig 117

The letter above the head makes this a separate type; the Sri is replaced by letter Pra (fig 118) or in some coins Praa (fig119)

Fig 118                                                                                                         Fig 118 type Pra

Fig 119                                                                                                         Fig 119 type Praa

In Type 2, another letter Ja (with variations) is placed in front of the portrait (fig 120); there are very few coins showing 120a or 120b, most coins show 120c.

Fig 120                                                                                                           sample coin with 120b type Ja

The above information is based on studies conducted by KK Maheshwari & extracted from his book - Imitations in Continuity

Type 3

Some coins (unpublished in the referred book), seem to be between the earlier Sri Ma and Proto Sri Vigra: 

partially visible presence of Sri? above crown, 

the crown (looking like a hat) resembles that of some Sri Ma coins 

motifs in front of bust lean towards Proto Sri Vigra

attendants on the reverse are very close to Type 1a of Proto Sri Vigra

samples for suggested Type 3

image credits -
1. Imitations in Continuity - K.K. Maheshwari
2. Amit Kher Collection

Interesting fact