The Chola of the high middle ages was a powerful sea fairing trade civilization of southern India. The Golden age of the Cholan civilization coincided with the reign of the sucessor of Uttama Chola his name was RajaRaja Chola I.At the height of Cholan power the neighboring kingdoms of the Pandya and Chera were under their control and all of south India was under one government for the first time in a 1000 years. The civilization is remembered for the outrageous ornate temples found all over India. They are known to have staffed hospitals, had a form of organized education and had a high level of literacy. Uttama Chola was known for his compassion, piety, and religious tolerance. The Chola were renowned for ocean fairing navigation, safe harbors on the east and west of India and competitive rates for commodities. The Cholan Empire subjugated and colonized the Singalese Kingdom of Sri Lanka who with the Chola would issue the famous and common "Octopus" coins of the 13th century. This coin dates to the King preceeded RajaRaja Cholas invasion of Sri Lanka, but it is thought that the coins were continued into RajaRaja's reign, he also called himself Uttama Chola. These coins are from South India's ThamilNadu region, minted in the city of Thanjavur. These coins are found scattered through out the Cholan trade route. The Chola would eventually control huge swaths of the Pacific Eastern Archipelago. These coins are most often found in Sri Lanka. Map...thanks to google.. India, ThamiNadu Thanjavur AR Kasu (Kahavanu) 20 mm x 4.26 grams Uttama Chola (970-985 AD) Obverse: Tiger (Chola symbol) seated right faces towards two upright fishes (Pandyan symbol): bow (Chera symbol) behind: all under an umbrella above. Reverse: Uttama / Chola - in Devanagari script ref: Mitchiner #713-725 ; Biddulph #26 Note: Rare. High Grade Example.
oh wow, what a cool coin. i'm familiar with the "octopus king" chola coins, but haven't seen this one before. this coin is post chola i believe, but still has the same "octopus" design. queen lilavati, sri lanka, 1197-1212 AD
Nice coin ! However, i would not have hired the designer who made the victorious fierce tiger look like a scared monkey.
Great coin, AN! I don't know the type, but it certainly looks to be well-struck and well-preserved. The Chola civilization, huh? Well, time to hit the books again.
@chrsmat71 - A wonderful coin of a female regent. Well played. @THCoins Thanks. Fair enough. I think it looks like an angry squirrel. @JA- Glad you like it. Start here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uththama_Chola
glad you posted that link AN, so my coin is not post chola in general, bu sri lanka was no longer under their control. dang...that is a angry squirrel!
All joking aside, do we really know it's a Tiger? Sometimes things get described a certain way by one individual who writes a book, and that description gets repeated by every other collector without challenge. Did Michiner or Biddulph call it a tiger, just because the tiger is the Chola symbol, therefore it must be a tiger even though it looks every bit like a monkey? And what is the significance of the fish?
There are earlier versions of this coin in which the tiger looks much more like a tiger. Before Chola dominance there were three major dynasties in the south: The Chola, The Pandya and the Chera. As dynastic symbols these respectively had the tiger, the fishes and the bow. The coin symbolizes unity under Chola rule, as the tiger in the centre under the royal parasol, over the Pandya and the Chera.
AH THC speaks the truth. There was a discussion weather the fish were alive or not, some believe the fish are pictured dead to show the off the conquest of the Pandya by the Chola. I believe the consensus was the fish are alive and an example of a Pandya(?) coin showed, featuring a fish in the same orientation. They certainly would show a pair of dead fishs as their imperial symbol now would they? I find this coin particularly interesting because, 1) Metal is Silver, 2) Coin is Rare, 3)The Tiger,Fish,Bow all under the umbrella really appeals to this history of these 3 peoples working together in peace and hegemony for several hundred years. Just after this attention was turned toward the envelopment of the Pacific trade routes and a new era in Asian numismatics. I find it so totally fascinating to see Native India coinage spread so far out over the islands of the Pacific. Its a real testament to the Cholan civilization.
