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1 Kasu - Sri Vira Madurai Nayaks
| Issuer | Madurai Nayaks |
|---|---|
| Year | 1601-1763 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Kasu |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a highly stylized Tamil legend or symbolic device in low relief, heavily worn and partially obscured by the rough, porous surface typical of hammered bronze kasu coinage of the Madurai Nayak period. Curvilinear motifs and looped forms are visible across the field, possibly representing a degraded Tamil script inscription or abstract dynastic symbol. The flan is irregular in outline with a granular, heavily oxidized surface displaying green patination overlying the bronze substrate. The strike is off-center in areas, consistent with hand-hammered production methods of the period. No clear border or rim decoration is discernible. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Madurai Nayaks governed as subordinate rulers under the Vijayanagara Empire before asserting effective independence following Vijayanagara's collapse after the Battle of Talikota in 1565. The kasu was their workhorse denomination, struck in enormous quantities across a dynasty that lasted nearly two centuries under a succession of rulers — the "Sri Vira" epithet appearing on issues that scholars have struggled to attribute to specific reigns with confidence.
Attribution within this series remains genuinely difficult. The Zeno reference points to a catalogued type, but die variation across the Madurai issues is extensive and no comprehensive die study has been completed.