2026-09-24 Thu

The elephant and lion were powerful animal symbols in the artistic and political traditions of ancient India, representing strength, authority and royal power. Their presence together on the coinage attributed to the Sangam Cholas offers a fascinating glimpse into the symbolic language of early Tamil coinage. This small copper coin, weighing 1.54 grams, features an elephant facing left on the obverse and a lion facing left with an upraised tail on the reverse, both enclosed within dotted circles.

The Sangam Age, generally associated with the early historic period of South India, is remembered for the flourishing of Tamil literature, trade and culture. The Chola realm was closely associated with the fertile Kaveri basin, with Uraiyur serving as an important early Chola centre and Kaveripoompattinam (Puhar) as a major port.

The coinage attributed to the Sangam Cholas is particularly interesting because it relies heavily on animal and symbolic imagery rather than lengthy legends. Several varieties are known, with elephants, tigers and lions appearing among the principal motifs. Such imagery formed an important part of the visual vocabulary of early Tamil coinage.

On this 1.54-gram copper coin, the obverse depicts an elephant walking towards the left, accompanied by symbols above it and surrounded by a dotted circular border. The reverse depicts a lion facing left with its tail raised, again enclosed within a dotted circle.