Jaffna Coinage

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1 The ancient period
2 The early period
3 The mediaeval period
4 The late period
5 The Dutch period
6 The modern period

[edit] The ancient period

These are some of the pre-christian coins found in Sri Lanka. Simillar coins have been unearthed throughout Sri Lanka. Although large numbers of simillar coins have been found in the north a study on regional specialities is yet to be done.

The punch marked coins are usualy in silver with assorted combinations of symbols punched on them. Stylistically they correspond with simillar coins used throughout India during this period. A recent publication on these coins attempts to identify symbols peculiar to Sri Lanka. Some of the more popular symbols are Sun, Moon, elephant, bull, nandipada, fish and peacock. Due to their diversity, they appear to have been issued by regional rulers or traders and not by a central monarchy.

The tree on the Tree and Swastika coins is sometimes called a Bo-tree. As the symbol is pre- Buddhist, it is more likely to be a widely accepted holy tree from the region.

The goddess Lakshmi coins are either cast or struck. The two coins ilustrated below are cast. They are found in may sizes ranging from about 3 inches to half an inch. Initially these were thought to be votive offerings. but now scholars are unanimous that they were indeed coins.

A punch marked coin	A punch marked coin	A tree and swastika coin	The reverse of the tree and swastika coin
An elephant and swastika coin	The reverse of the elephant and swastika coin	A goddess Lakshmi coin	The reverse of the goddess Lakshmi coin
A goddess Lakshmi coin	The reverse of the goddess Lakshmi coin

[edit] The early period

A rectangular Bull coin	A Pandyan Bull coin	The reverse of the Pandyan Bull coin	The reverse of A Pandyan Bull coin
A Pallava lion coin	The reverse of the Pallava lion coin

[edit] The mediaeval period

A Setu Bull coin	The reverse of the Setu Bull coin	A Setu Bull coin	The reverse of the Setu Bull coin
A Setu coin	The reverse of the Setu coin	A silver coin of Uttama Chola	The reverse of Uttama Chola coin with his name
A gold coin of Rajaraja	The reverse of the Rajaraja gold coin	A coin of Rajadhiraja	The reverse of the Rajadhiraja coin
A copper coin of Rajaraja	The reverse of the Rajaraja copper coin