2026-09-30 Wed

The Malayaman chiefs were among the regional chieftains who ruled parts of northern Tamilakam during the Sangam period. Their capital was at Tirukkoyilur (Tirucoilur) in the region traditionally associated with Miladu Nadu/Malayaman Nadu.

They were closely connected with the hill country and are frequently mentioned in Sangam literature, where Malayaman Thirumudi Kari is remembered as one of the celebrated patrons of the Sangam age. The Malayamans occupied an important position between the larger Tamil powers, including the Cholas and Cheras, and their territory lay along the Pennaiyar (Ponnaiyar) river, an important geographical and communication route.

Their coinage is particularly distinctive because the horse appears as their principal emblem, while several issues feature a remarkable reverse design interpreted as a symbolic representation of their territory.

This uninscribed die-struck copper coin, of the Malayaman chiefs of the Sangam period and dated to approximately 50–100 AD, belongs to the coinage of the Tirucoilur region and weighs 1.88 g.

On the obverse, a horse stands facing right, accompanied by an ankusha or elephant goad to its right. The horse was an important emblem of Malayaman coinage and occurs on several varieties, facing either left or right.

The reverse is especially fascinating, depicting a river containing fishes, with three triangular mountain-like forms above it. This unusual composition has traditionally been interpreted as a symbolic map of the Malayaman territory, with the river and surrounding landscape representing the geographical setting of their domain. Similar Malayaman coins are known with a flowing river and fishes together with hill or mountain symbols, reinforcing the interpretation of the design as a territorial representation.