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1 Kasu - Sri Vira Seated Narasimha
| Issuer | Kingdom of Madurai (Indian Hindu Dynasties) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1630-1700 |
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| Value | 1 Kasu |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Crude hammered depiction of the deity Narasimha — the man-lion avatar of Vishnu — seated in Yogabandha posture, with legs crossed and arms resting upon the knees in a meditative attitude. The figure is rendered in low relief within a plain circular border, displaying the characteristic stylized workmanship of Madurai Nayaka copper coinage. The field is flat and irregular, consistent with hand-struck manufacture. The overall design is bold but schematic, reflecting the devotional rather than naturalistic artistic conventions of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a three-line Kannada script inscription reading 'Sri / Vi / Ra', representing an abbreviation of the royal epithet 'Sri Vira', referencing the issuing authority of the Madurai Nayaka ruler. The characters are rendered in a cursive Kannada hand, lightly struck and somewhat worn, set within a plain circular border. The field surrounding the legend is flat and unadorned, typical of the utilitarian style of Nayaka copper kasu coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The Madurai Nayakas operated as nominally Vijayanagara vassals long after the empire's practical collapse at Talikota in 1565, and their coinage reflects that political ambiguity — invoking imperial legitimacy through religious iconography while functioning as an entirely autonomous territorial currency. Sri Vira Narasimha was a throne name carrying Vaishnavite devotional weight, deliberately chosen to anchor Nayaka authority in the Vishnu cult dominant across the Kaveri delta region.
Copper kasu of this type circulated heavily in local temple economies, where small-denomination exchange was driven more by ritual obligation than commerce.