Catalog
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| Issuer | Reserve Bank of India |
|---|---|
| Year | 2006 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin/Devanagari |
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| Reverse description | A forward-facing draped bust of Mahatma Basaveshwara occupies the central field, depicted wearing an ornate crown and traditional regalia befitting his stature as a 12th-century philosopher-saint and social reformer. The portrait is rendered in a classical medallion style with fine detail on the crown and necklace. The name 'MAHATMA BASAVESHWARA' is inscribed in Latin script along the upper periphery, with the equivalent 'महात्मा बसवेश्वर' in Devanagari along the left. The four cardinal principles associated with Basaveshwara — 'भक्ति - कायक - दासोह - समता' (Devotion, Labour, Service, Equality) — are inscribed along the lower periphery in Devanagari script. The mint mark appears in the lower field below the bust. |
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| Additional information |
Basaveshwara, the 12th-century Lingayat philosopher and statesman who served as a minister under the Kalachuri king Bijjala II in Karnataka, is one of the few pre-modern Indian figures to receive a commemorative coin issue from the Reserve Bank without direct connection to the independence movement. The 2006 release marked the occasion of his birth anniversary observances, fitting a pattern of RBI commemoratives issued to satisfy regional and sectarian constituencies as much as numismatic demand.
The .500 fine silver specification — half-silver by fineness — was standard for RBI commemoratives of this period, keeping production costs down while maintaining the legal fiction of a precious-metal issue.