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1/2 Anantaraya 1 Fanam - Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma
| Issuer | Kingdom of Travancore |
|---|---|
| Year | 1758-1798 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Within a circle of pellets, the Vishnupaadam (sacred feet of the deity Vishnu) is depicted as two curved lines representing the soles, with ten pellets arranged to symbolize the toes. Four pellets are positioned above a crescent moon in the upper field. The design is entirely symbolic and non-figural, consistent with the devotional iconographic tradition of Travancore coinage. |
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| Mintage | ND (1758-1798) |
| Additional information |
Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma — better known as Dharma Raja — ruled Travancore during one of its most consequential periods, successfully repelling Hyder Ali's invasion in 1766 and later navigating the pressures of Tipu Sultan's campaigns to the north. The fanam was the fundamental unit of Travancore's gold coinage, struck at extraordinarily small weights that reflected the local monetary tradition of south Indian temple economies rather than Mughal-derived standards.
The "Anantaraya" designation links this issue directly to the Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram, whose deity the Travancore rajas ruled as servants — every coin struck was nominally in the god's name.