King standing left beside altar, holding trident, Bactrian legend PAC KANHPKI / Nimbate Sun-God Mithra (Mihira) standing left, MIIPO in the right field, tamgha in the left field. 26mm, 16.73 grams. Mint of Taxila or Pushkalavati. Mitchiner ACW 3077-3078. SKU T911-50948

Mithra or Mitra is a divinity of Indic culture, whose function changed with time. In the late Vedic texts and the Brahmanas, Mitra is increasingly associated with the light of dawn and the morning sun (while Varuna becomes associated with the evening, and ultimately the night). In the post-Vedic texts Mitra evolved into the patron divinity of friendship, and because he is "friend", abhors all violence, even when sacred.

Kanishka I or Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty in the second century (c.127“150 CE), is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadphises, founder of the Kushan empire, Kanishka came to rule an empire in Bactria extending to Pataliputra on the Gangetic plain. He minted a large series of gold and copper coins depicting various Kushan deities.