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1 Pagoda - Tirumalaraya
| Issuer | Vijayanagara, Empire of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1565-1572 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Three deities depicted in high relief on an irregular hammered gold flan: the central figure of Rama is shown seated in frontal aspect, flanked to the left by Sita, also seated, while Lakshmana stands as an attendant to the right. The figures are rendered in the characteristic stylized South Indian iconographic tradition, with broad shoulders and simplified facial features. The composition fills the field in a compact arrangement typical of Vijayanagara gold pagodas. |
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| Reverse lettering | श्री तिरुमल राय |
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| Additional information |
Tirumalaraya ruled as regent following the catastrophic defeat at Talikota in January 1565, when a coalition of the Deccan Sultanates destroyed the Vijayanagara army and sacked the imperial capital at Hampi. He never retook effective control of the empire's core territories, governing instead from Penukonda. Gold pagoda coinage continued to be struck through this period partly to maintain the fiction of imperial continuity — and partly because the dynasty's southern revenue base, though diminished, remained intact enough to supply bullion.