2018-02-17 Sat

Tiny little coins that weigh between 0.19 to 0.50 grams from the Vijayanagar Empire suggest that nanotechnology was prevalent in ancient India as well. A numismatic and philatelic exhibition showcased these beautiful coins recently in Vellore.

A Tamilvannan is the secretary of the Numismatic and Philatelic Association of Vellore Fort. He exhibited his collection of tiny coins from the 13th Century. The smallest among all was a 0.19 grams coin that features the first Telugu letter of ruler Bukka Raya. Eight coins from his collection belonged to the Vijaynagar Empire.

He has been researching to find out when and how these coins were minted so that he can prove that nanotechnology was practiced during the 13th century.

His collection also contained several coins from the Arcot Nawab period, Ramanad Talawai with Tamil scripts etc.

The image shown above features a Vijayanagar Coin that weighs 0.29 grams and depicts the Kannada Letter “Bu”. The obverse features Garuda running towards right holding an object probably a snake in his right hand.