2023-12-11 Mon

Negapatnam had served as a chief port for commerce and east-bound naval expeditions during the rule of Medieval Cholas. The word Nagapattinam, which comes from the word Nagar, denotes the people who came from Sri Lanka and settled here, while pattinam denotes a town.

After being colonised by the Portuguese, Nagapattinam was eventually taken over by the Dutch, who used it as the seat of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 until 1781.

Indo-Dutch Gold Pagoda, 3.35g, minted at Negapatnam. The obverse features Lord Vishnu standing, and the reverse bears a Granulated field.

Image Courtesy: Todywalla Auction