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Venad Cheras: Copper Kasu, 1118-80 AD, Battle Axe type, MCSI II 453-454

Started by mitresh, February 04, 2015, 09:19:59 AM

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mitresh

Venad Cheras, 1118-80 AD, Copper Kasu, Battle Axe type, Grantha "Ra" above, MCSI II 453-454

In the quest for Excellence, there's no finish line.

@josephjk


THCoins

Any idea what the diamond-shaped object next to the king on the left pic is supposed to be ?

mitresh

Anthony hi!

Checked with a South India based collector, dealer and author who explained that the diamond/kite object in front of the King on Obv is meant to be a flag, kept beside the King, as a royal insignia of the South Indian Kings.
In the quest for Excellence, there's no finish line.

THCoins

Thanks for the answer Mitresh !
My knowledge on South-Insian coins is still minute, but i keep learning  :D

RG


THCoins

Very fine specimen ! Is the character above the axe the same as in the opening post coin or do you think it is a different variant ?

RG

Sir, same letter sir. In opening post coin the part of that letter is out of flan. Also on the other side the lamp to the left of standing person is also out of flan in original post. My coin has all the listed characteristics in full flan and weighs 3.65 grams and diameter 16 mm.

RG


THCoins

I fully believe you ! It is just that Mithresh called this a "Ra". In another thread, Ram showed a very similar one but identified it as "Cha". So i wondered if the small difference in the length of the loop of the character made a difference.
Here i showed some of mine, which seem to show the similar character, but not in a brilliant quality.

RG

Even I am not 100% sure sir. I tried completing the letter as per my imagination. I also checked the catalogue by Mrs. Beena Sarasan and there is a very subtle difference between "Ra" and "cha/che". Maybe some south indian expert may give us a confirmation.


Quant.Geek

The lettering is definitely Medieval Tamil and the distinction between Ra and Cha/Sa is quite prominent.  In fact, the epigraphy of Tamil hasn't changed much between this period and the present-day letters.  As a result, it is Cha (Che) and whether it stands for Chera or something else, that is debatable.  BTW, that is an outstanding coin  :o

Present-Day Cha () and Present-Day Ra ()


A gallery of my coins can been seen at FORVM Ancient Coins

THCoins


RG

Quote from: Quant.Geek on December 11, 2016, 03:35:58 PM
The lettering is definitely Medieval Tamil and the distinction between Ra and Cha/Sa is quite prominent.  In fact, the epigraphy of Tamil hasn't changed much between this period and the present-day letters.  As a result, it is Cha (Che) and whether it stands for Chera or something else, that is debatable.  BTW, that is an outstanding coin  :o

Present-Day Cha () and Present-Day Ra ()



Thanks a lot sir. The chart is very useful.

RG

Another Battle Axe (Parasu) kasu type coin from Venad. The sun and crescent on the obverse and the dagger (??) in the reverse may be taken as an indication that the coin is issued probably to acknowledge soveriegnity of the Vijayanagar Kingdom. Pardon for poor clarity..