Sivagangai (Tamil Nadu): A 400-year-old copper coin from the Venadu Chera kings period, bearing the Tamil letter 'ச' and a seated human figure and ten dots at the bottom, has been discovered near Sivagangai.
In this regard, the founder of the Sivagangai Archaeological Society, poet Ka. Kaliraja, said, "This coin was found on the surface of the ground in the area between the Mannar Higher Secondary School and the bank of chetti water body in Sivaganga. The Chera rule was prevalent in the present-day Tamil Nadu areas from the Sangam period until the 16th century. The Cheras ruled with present-day Karur, which was called Karuvur, as their capital.
The kings who ruled Venad issued various coins. Kings like Veera Keralan, Kothai Ravi, and Udaya Marthandan issued coins engraved with Nagari script. Coins with Tamil script inscriptions like Bhoothala Veeraramanan, Bhoothala Cherakularamanan, and Ramaraja have also been found. Coins with only the monoglyph 'ச' engraved, and coins with only the monoglyphs 'மா' and 'செ' engraved also were issued by Chera kings.
Venadu Chera Coin
Now, a human figure is seen on both sides of the coin found in Sivagangai yesterday (Jan 31). On one side, the figure is seen in a standing position. Near it, the auspicious symbol of lamp (Kuthuvilakku) is seen, and six dots are seen on the right hand side and some dots on the left hand side.
On the other side of the coin, a human figure is seen in a sitting position, and the Tamil letter 'ச' is seen on the left side of the figure, and ten dots are seen at the bottom. This coin is made of copper. Its weight is 2.5 grams.
Period of the coin
The Venadu Cheras ruled from the 12th to the 16th century. During that period, they issued various coins. Except for the coins with the name of the king mentioned, the name of the king and the period are not known on the other coins. These are only identified as Venadu Chera coins. These types of coins have been found in the Nagercoil and Tirunelveli areas. This type of coin has also been found in Manamadurai in Sivagangai district," said Kaliraja.
Furthermore, in a review of this coin, numismatic scholar Arumugam Seetharaman said, "These types of coins were identified as Pandya coins by the British. Later, with sufficient inscriptional evidence, they were identified as Venadu Chera coins. These coins may have come to this region from the Chera region many centuries ago through trade relations."
