1 Tara - Devaraya I

Devaraya I's reign saw the Vijayanagara empire consolidate control over much of the Deccan peninsula following decades of pressure from the Bahmani Sultanate to the north. He is recorded in contemporary sources, including the account of the Italian traveler Niccolò de' Conti who visited the empire around 1420, as ruling a city of extraordinary scale and commercial density — a kingdom that required small fractional silver coinage precisely because its markets were active enough to demand it. At 0.25 grams, this tara represents the lowest practical denomination in metal that the mint could strike with any consistency.