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1 Pagoda - Venkatapati Raya II
| Issuer | Vijayanagara, Empire of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1585-1614 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.41 g |
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| Obverse description | Standing figure of Lord Venkateshwara (Vishnu) depicted in frontal posture, with upper hands each holding a conch (shankha) and discus (chakra), while the lower hands are extended in varada and abhaya mudras. The deity is shown in a formal, hieratic style characteristic of South Indian temple iconography of the Vijayanagara period. The figure occupies the full field of the coin in high relief. |
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| Reverse script | Devanagari |
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| Additional information |
Venkatapati Raya II ruled the Vijayanagara Empire from its diminished rump state at Chandragiri and Vellore, the great capital at Hampi having been razed by the Deccan Sultanates at Talikota in 1565 — two decades before this coin's issue began. The pagoda denomination had been the empire's principal gold unit for centuries, trusted enough that Portuguese and later Dutch merchants quoted south Indian commodity prices in pagodas rather than their own currencies.
Venkatapati's reign was arguably the last period of genuine administrative coherence for the dynasty, holding off Golconda and managing tributary relationships with surprising effectiveness given what Talikota had destroyed.