Catalog
1 Massa - Parākramabāhu III
| Issuer | Dambadeniya, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1302-1310 |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Standing figure of the king depicted in stylized indigenous Sinhalese artistic tradition, shown facing forward and holding a flower in one hand. The design is rendered in low relief with bold, simplified forms characteristic of medieval Sri Lankan coinage. The field is plain, and the coin is enclosed by a beaded border of pellets running along the entire circumference. The overall style reflects the archaic, non-portrait conventions of the Dambadeniya period. |
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| Reverse script | Sinhala |
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| Additional information |
Parākramabāhu III ruled from Dambadeniya during a period when the Sinhalese kingdoms had retreated inland following successive South Indian invasions that devastated the coastal lowlands. His reign saw continued pressure from the Pandya kingdom of South India, and copper coinage of this type circulated in an economy significantly disrupted by those incursions. Surviving examples are rarely encountered in any condition, a reflection of the limited documentary and archaeological record for Dambadeniya-period issues generally.