Bust of Isvaradatta right, with corrupted Greek legend (Indo-Greek style), date in Brahmi numeral behind - "1" / Three-arched hill or Chaitya, with river, two crescents and sun, within legend in Brahmi Rajno Mahaksatrapasa Isvaradattasa varse prathme ("Raja Mahasatrap Isvaradatta year one"). 15mm, 2.30 grams. "Studies in the Coinage of Western Kshatrapas" #522. "The Silver Coins of the Western Satraps in India" 24,2.1 (this coin is pictured). SKU T485-50571

Isvaradatta appears out of nowhere - it is assumed that he was an army commander who usurped power in a part of the Kshatrapa realm for about two year. On his exceedingly rare coins he styles himself a "mahakshatrapa", but he does not give his patronymic (without doubt because he did not come from a royal line, a fact to which he did not want to draw attention). He is also the only Mahakshatrapa who did not date his coins in Saka era, but in his own regnal years (this coin shows this date on both sides - "1" on obverse and "year one" on reverse). One of his coins was found dated to 164 SE, but this date was variousely read, so the exact year of his reign is still uncertain, though stylistically they fit into the ca.160 SE period.