Think of coins and what comes to mind are the flat round pieces of metal. But in some Madurai homes — those with children and adults interested in history — the replica of a fancy Pandya coin stands like a decorative plaque. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Madurai chapter is trying to generate academic interest in the significance of ancient Tamil coinage among the people here.
“Antiquated coins contain a lot of history and are a means to understand how civilisations flourished in the past. But due to the lack of a widely understood script, we tend to ignore the importance,” says Rajesh Kanna, an executive member who came up with the idea of using the replica of a coin as teaching tool. Coin replicas are usually done by collectors, out of commercial interests. This is perhaps the first time that an INTACH chapter has replicated a coin, in the size of a tablet that also makes a nice souvenir for locals and tourists alike.
Kanna’s interest in coins is motivated by his interest in Tamil lifestyle and culture. And the INTACH has also sponsored the souvenir for 30 Government schools where they will be used in classroom teaching.
Kanna was first drawn to the coins of Tamil Nadu after meeting Thanjavur-based numismatist Arumuga Sitaraman. For the replica model, he chose a square-shaped copper coin weighing 10.6 grams that was traded under the rule of the Pandya kings in Madurai during 1 BC. According to Sitaraman, there is no clear explanation of the value of each coin. But what can be broadly understood is that bigger the coin, the more value it had.
Kanna says he got curious about the six symbols along with an elephant, a trident and the divine carved on one side and a stylised fish symbol, the royal insignia of the Pandya’s, on the other. The particular characteristics, as interpreted in various books, have been compiled in a small note that comes with the souvenir.
The elephant had a place of honour in ancient Tamil life, and the trident was a prominent weapon of the times. Auspicious symbols lined on top include a fenced tree and a lucky four-leaf plant, and the inference is drawn from the literary work Agananooru , that mentions a clay wall built around a banyan tree was the temple. The crescent symbolises the knowledge of the Tamils, who studied the impact of phases of the moon on nature and human body. The musical instrument drum was widely used to make important announcements; the sea farers held the conch as a sacred object in rituals; the women loved to wear anklets in the shape of a golden tube embedded with pearls and semi-precious stones.
“The Tamils divided the land into kurinji (mountain), mullai (forest), marutham (agriculture), neythal (sea) and paalai (dry and sandy). Each type had its own occupation, flora and fauna and the produce was shared by all creating a self-sufficient society. This coin is, therefore, a symbol of prosperity of the Sangam Age, and a lesson in learning, “ explains Kanna.
What currency tells us
The numismatics of Tamil Nadu are as vast as an ocean. But not everybody is a numismatist. “To keep a replica as a souvenir at home will at least have some capacity to evoke and preserve for us the image of a world that is now past,” says Kanna and adds, “Items of antiquity have a lot to do with people of that era. Knowing and learning a bit of history is important for all.”
During the lockdown everybody took to pursuing different interests. So it was with Kanna, who attended online lectures and read books on the Sangam Age, associated with the period from 300 BC to 300 AD, marking the southern dynasties of the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas.
“The life of Sangam Age man in harmony with nature fascinated me and I shortlisted few items that could be made by artists as gift items. The launch of the Pandya coin replica is the first step in this direction,” he says. It is also a way to promote artists during the difficult pandemic months.
Madurai artist P Gunasekaran fulfilled this vision, by making the plaques in fibre glass with the sculpted features and painting it to an antique finish. In the last two months since its launch, INTACH has sold 100 of these pieces priced at ₹450 each.
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