1/2 Pagoda - KrishnaDevaraya Postumus Issue, debased

KrishnaDevaraya ruled the Vijayanagara Empire at its political and territorial peak, but the "posthumous" attribution here is something of a misnomer worth unpacking: these debased issues were struck not after his death in 1529 but likely toward the latter end of his reign, when mounting military expenditure — particularly the campaigns against the Gajapati kingdom of Odisha and repeated engagements with the Bahmani Sultanates — put sustained pressure on the imperial treasury. The reduction in fineness reflects fiscal strain, not a successor's debasement policy.

Vijayanagara gold pagodas circulated widely enough to appear in Portuguese merchant accounts from Goa, where they were accepted by weight rather than face value.