The Tale Of A Tiny Coin

Rediscovering a coin .


I have had this coin for five decades now. Given by grandfather , along with a few British India coins, to add to my childhood hoard of collectibles .  

 

On one side : the image of the devi , Lakshmi ( or so I thought )  . 

On the other side :  the name " Vijaya" , in kannada script ( or so I thought ).

No markings of denomination or date . 

Clearly not  real money , just a souvenir  to commemorate some special puja  in the Mysore palace (or so I thought ) .


       ( The Goddess and the script ) 


The  coin , less than 1 cm in diameter , lies in perpetual hibernation , forgotten,  in the bottom drawer, emerging only  during spring cleaning sprees .  


Recently , the Vijaya Coin suddenly popped up - as an exhibit under glass .  In Pudukottai museum that  i was visiting  .  

" Pudukottai Amman Cash - 1800 AD  " ! 

Misshapen and struck earlier, but unmistakably , the same as mine . Same Goddess . Same Vijaya . No date. No denomination ...   Wonder ! 


The slim book of Pudukottai trivia I bought in the museum revealed a wealth of information about my precious little coin ! 

The goddess is not Lakshmi , but Brahadamba, the guardian diety of the Thondaiman Kings  whose names were all suffixed with the moniker  "BrahadambaDas"  

The script , it turned out , was telugu , native language of the Thondaimans , not kannada ( both scripts are very  similar )

And it was not a souvenir , but real money ! 


Originated in 1738 as an offering to the diety , to be  distributed  to the public as a blessing during Dasara ( One 'padi' measure of rice and 4 coins each ) . Made of pure copper .


The public began using the coin as small change only from 1900. The value fixed for it was : 5 AmmanCash for Quarter Anna , which was also equal to 3 paisa ( or Salli kasu ) .16 Annas  made one Rupee . 

Earlier hand struck locally , the coins were mechine minted in Birmingham from 1869 to 1934 , after which minting ceased . But the coins were in circulation within the kingdom till 1948 , when the Princely state merged with  Independent India. Thereupon , the huge hoards of demonetised  coins were melted down for copper .



There is a ritual , continuing to this day , of making votive offerings of "Amman Kasu" to the Goddess  Brahadamba , upon fulfillment of a prayer  . The temple sells the votive  coins , but of modern manufacture.


So much history in such a tiny coin ! And it has taken half a lifetime for me to discover the rich lore behind a  trinket collected in childhood ! 






Comments

krinna shah said…
It has to be interesting because you have written it!
nowise novice said…
Wonderful write up! I always wondered if these coins were able to take us back in time like a time machine! You did make me travel back in time!
Aparna said…
Such a sweet story, Vidya !I am really glad that you held on to your precious coin thereby regaling your readers with a tale of Arai Kasu Amman.

Incognita said…
Incredible! The coin chose its moment to reveal its secrets. And we have one more goddess to invoke!
Incognita said…
Incredible! The coin chose its moment to reveal its secrets. And we have one more goddess to invoke!
YOSEE said…
Inscrutable are the ways of Goddesses .....and forgotten trinkets ! 😊

One more name fir the same old Goddess . Brahadamba is Ishwari , assuming a matching -matching name for Brihadeeshwara ( Thanjavur)
YOSEE said…
Thank you NowiseNovice ! Time travel is a actually very easy . Any stray object , sound or smell can trigger powerfulmemories
YOSEE said…
Thank you , Aparna Misra .
Everything has a story waiting to be discovered !
YOSEE said…
Thank you Krinna Shah ! The coin has an interesting story , whoever writes it ! 😊

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