Enthroned Ardoxsho facing; Nagari legend Gopa(la) in the right field / King standing, Nagari legend Varman. 22mm, 6.10 grams. Mitchiner NIS 161.

Rare!

Gopalavarman (r. c. 902–904 CE) was a short-reigning ruler of post-Hephthalite Kashmir, belonging to the Utpala dynasty, which governed the region after the decline of the Karkotas and the disappearance of Hephthalite political influence in the northwest. He was the son of King Shankaravarman (r. 883–902), one of Kashmir’s most powerful but fiscally oppressive rulers. Gopalavarman ascended the throne at a very young age, and real authority was exercised by his mother Queen Sugandha, who acted as regent. His reign was marked by court factionalism and instability rather than major political or military achievements. He died prematurely around 904 CE (reportedly assassinated through witchcraft), after which Sugandha briefly ruled in her own name. Much of what is known about Gopalavarman comes from Kalhaṇa’s Rājataraṅgiṇī, which portrays his reign as a fragile interlude during a turbulent phase of Kashmiri history.