
Stylized head right within a dotted border / Stylized Sassanian altar with the shaft replaced with three dots, stylized Brahmi letter "Sri" above, four characters "Ta-Pa/Ku-Na" (probably should be read counterclockwise from "Sri", giving an inscription "Sri Tapana Ku"). 12mm, 0.82 grams, Multan mint. Fishman/Todd "The Silver Damma" Type M4.
Rare early type, struck to the heavy "masha" standard (dumpier and heavier than the more common later type). “Tapana” was probably the local epithet of Raja Dahir of Alor (679-712 CE), whose realm encompassed Multan or perhaps the name of the local ruler subordinate to Raja Dahir. It is also possible that after the initial issues minted by an earlier ruler named Tapana, with the coins of his successors simply used his name as a part of “frozen” design.
These coins are studied in detail in "The Silver Damma" (2018) by Fishman and Todd, now a standard catalogue for this sort of small silver coinage.