recently i got introduced to an avid coin collector and numismatics expert. he sent me 21 booklets on tamil coins. I remember earlier there was a thread wherein we were searching for the banners of prominent chieftains. A quick glance through the book, gives some good leads. ( the dating of the coins are as given in the book)
Early chera coins:
We often associate the chera emblem with just the bow and arrow - but early chera coins ( 2nd C BCE) - have the bow, arrow and also angusam ( the weapon used to control elephants)
Early coins of Malaiyamans:
The coins mostly have a flowing river depiction - and sometimes a river flowing from two hills - dated to 1st C CE.
Sambuvaraiyar
This was interesting . late 14th C CE. the coin has a crescent under which there are two pots.
http://www.poetryinstone.in “*Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man*” – Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore
Sambuvarayar clan - crescent with pot under depicts, agni[fire] in a mud pots - the symbol which belongs to Vannia kula shatrya community in Tamilnadu - interestingly Vaannar Kula Vandia thevan who was bossom friend of Arul molhi varaman belongs to this clan and hails from Vallam,
Sambuvarayar different from Vanavarayar. There is a wonderful book on Vanavarayar varalaru tracing their origins in a unique manner from naduk kal references
Sambuvarayar clan is of Agni kula shatriyas - pl ref to Paddai Veedu [ Padavedu near Arani /vellore] and Thirukoyiloor history and records ; Vanavarayar is a title conferred and later it became to represent a caste ,
Try visit the link, this coinissued by Sambuvaraiyar IT MAY ISSUED by 3rd Erasanarayan AD1356-1379 Coin Obv: there Royal Symbole BULL AND ABOVE SUN AND MOON REV: Naryana in tamil in the center a Dagger
Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures of old coins. VJ’s interview with Raman was a delight to read.
I wonder if someone (VJ, Raman or anyone else) who might shed some insight on the non-symmetrical shape of the coins. Is it due to wear or is it due to something else. When beautiful bronze statues have been cast, I would suspect the coins would have nice 2.5D statues which would be of nice quality that would show deep wear. Even with wear they would remain symmetrical.
Second question is about Sangam coins which were not circular, but were almost squarish. I wonder if there is a particular reason for the squarish geometry. All ancient coins I have seen from other cultures have been mostly circular. In a similar vein, our temples have a squarish or rectangular lay out - there are a few exceptions with a circular sannathi such as the one at Thirukazhikundram – the hill temple. Egyptian temples also had a similar rectangular geometry. Romans seem to have invented the dome shape for temples, the Pantheon (in Rome) was built around 150 AD for the various Roman gods. That art was lost, and was reinvented with the Cathedral in Florence during renaissance.