First coins in Indian history bearing the names and images of rulers were issued by the :
Mauryas
Pushyabhutis
Guptas
Indo-Greeks
Answer is Wrong!
Answer is Right!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-1 – 2024
– The **Indo-Greeks** ruled parts of northwestern India from around the late 3rd century BCE to the early 1st century CE. Influenced by Hellenistic numismatic traditions, they introduced coins featuring realistic portraits of the rulers along with their names, often in Greek and Brahmi or Kharosthi scripts. This marked a significant departure in Indian coinage.
– The **Guptas** (c. 320–550 CE) later issued a wide variety of sophisticated gold, silver, and copper coins. Their gold coins, in particular, featured images of the rulers (e.g., Samudragupta playing the Veena, Chandragupta II with a lion) and their names, continuing and evolving the tradition introduced by the Indo-Greeks.
– The **Pushyabhutis** (or Vardhana dynasty, 6th and 7th centuries CE) ruled in parts of northern India much later than the Indo-Greeks and Guptas. Their coinage included types like those of Harshavardhana, which were influenced by earlier Gupta styles but were not the *first* to bear rulers’ names and images.