2020-10-05 Mon

The srang was a currency of Tibet between 1909 and 1959. Pronounced "sang"; in Tibetan often referred to as "dngul srang" i.e. "silver srang". Originally the srang was a weight unit, particularly to weigh silver and gold.

The srang first appeared as a silver coin in 1909 when Tibet began issuing a variety of denominations rather than only issuing the tangka. These 1 srang silver coins of 18.5 g were minted at Dode. In 1954, a silver coin was struck for distribution to monks. Although this coin was the last tangka issue, it was valued at 5 srangs and was the last silver coin to be struck in Tibet.

The last Tibetan copper coins 1/2 srang were issued in 1953, while 100 srang notes were issued in large numbers until 1959. Shown above is the Tibetan 1 Srang silver coin, dated AD 1909 i.e. year 1 of Xuan Tong era.

Obverse Lettering: shon thong/kri lo 1/srang gang Translation: One Srang of the Xuan Tong era Reverse Lettering: dga´ ldan pho brang phyod las rnam rgyal Translation: The Ganden Palace, victorious in all directions.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org