2017-02-02 Thu

Numismatics is a very wide subject and it needs to be studied in detail. We have seen various symbols on Ancient Indian coins. Each symbol has its own significance and they were adopted for their own purpose.

Punch Marked Coins (PMC) has various symbols on them which were probably adopted from nature. Very few inscribed coins have been found in PMC. In the later period especially Indo-Greeks, Kushans, Guptas and post-Gupta rulers started portraying themselves and deities on their coins. Some masterpieces of iconography could be visibly seen on the Ancient Indian coins. Now the symbols were more realistic and innovative.

We have seen various symbols and motifs on Indian coins, but you might not have seen this one!

Here is the coin from the Nayak’s who ruled South India around 16th Century CE. The copper coin has a figure which depicts the upper body of a human and lower body of a fish probably holding a chakra or shankha.

Doesn’t it sound familiar? In Hindu mythology, Matsya is the very first incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu. This figure depicted on the coin is very much similar to that Matsya avatar of Lord Vishnu. The reverse of the coin has the name of the ruler who issued the coin ‘Sri Mangama’.

Have you ever seen any of the incarnation of Lord Vishnu depicted on the coins?

Also, we wrote an article on Raghunatha Nayak’s coin, which depicts Shiva and Parvati on the obverse and reverse bears the name of the ruler.

In the case of both the coins religious significance is reflected, promoting Hinduism. This also could be the effect of the Bhakti movement (15th to 17th Century CE) which was a mass approach towards spreading the Vaishnavism (Vishnu), Shaivism (Shiva) and Shaktism (Shakti goddesses) which took place in the region of Tamil.