2026-08-28 Fri

The Pandyas were one of the three great Tamil dynasties of the Sangam age, alongside the Cheras and Cholas. Their ancient kingdom was centred around Madurai and the fertile regions of southern Tamilakam, with access to the pearl-rich fisheries of the Gulf of Mannar. Their connections with maritime trade also brought the Pandyan kingdom into contact with the wider Indian Ocean world.

Among the most recognisable symbols associated with the Pandyas is the fish, which became their characteristic dynastic emblem. Early Pandyan coinage is therefore especially important, as it provides some of the earliest surviving material evidence for the symbols and political identity of the dynasty.

The Sangam-age Pandyas coinage is predominantly made of copper and is notable for its rich combination of animals, religious symbols, plants and geometric motifs. The fish motif is particularly significant. Other motifs—including trees within railings, standards, flowers, vessels, conches, wheels and crescents—reflect the broader symbolic traditions of early Indian coinage.

Here, the copper coin weighs 7.32 g. It is known as the “Elephant Trident Man” type, is an especially elaborate example of early Pandyan coinage.

The obverse of the coin depicts, an elephant stands facing right. Beside it is a trident-axe standard enclosed within a railing, while a standing human figure appears on the right. Above the elephant is an extraordinary row of symbols. From left to right, these comprise a railed tree, Indra-dhvaja (Indra's standard), flower pot, crescent, Srivatsa, conch and wheel.

The reverse is dominated by a stylised fish—the defining symbol of Pandyan identity. Its presence makes the attribution particularly compelling and links the coin to the long tradition of the fish emblem that continued in later Pandyan coinage.

More than two millennia later, this small copper coin continues to preserve the symbols, artistic traditions and dynastic identity of the Sangam-age Pandyas, making it a remarkable piece of early South Indian numismatic history.