1/10 Fanam - Bele

The Fanam circulated across South India for centuries as genuine workhorse coinage, passing through temple economies, textile markets, and long-distance pepper trade alike. At 0.04 g, the Bele denomination — a fraction of the already tiny Fanam — represents the smallest practical gold unit the Vijayanagara monetary system produced. That such minute flans were struck at all reflects the granularity of everyday commercial exchange in the Deccan, where even fractional gold had more daily utility than silver in many local markets.