Archaeologists of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department (TNAD) have found a gold coin during the excavation at Agaram, part of the Keeladi cluster. The coin dates back to the 17th Century AD, and used to be referred to as ‘Veerarayan’ coin.
The gold coin measures 1 cm in diameter and has a thickness of just 1 mm and weighs 300 mg, an official of TNAD told The Hindu .
“This coin was in use during the 17th century A.D. On the top of one side of the coin, there is a marking that looks like a ‘naamam’ (religious marking on the forehead), the middle has a marking that looks like the sun and below it is an image of a lion,” the official said. On the other side, there are 12 dots; below that is an image with two hands and two legs.
The official said the coin was found at a depth of four to five metres. “As we go further deeper, there is a possibility we will be able to find more artefacts that might probably date to earlier periods as well,” the official said.
Different types of ‘Veerarayan’ coins have been found earlier in Thanjavur, some dating to 16th Century A.D., and 17th Century A.D . The markings on these coins have some variations depending on the regions where they were in vogue.
