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30 Ratti - Harikela Kingdom
| Issuer | Harikela Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 900-1000 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Ratti |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Zebu bull depicted in left-facing profile within a plain inner circle, the characteristic hump and short horns rendered in a bold, stylised manner typical of early medieval South Asian coinage. A crescent symbol is positioned above the animal, accompanied by additional auspicious symbols and a Brahmi legend distributed around the field between the inner circle and the outer beaded border. The flat, broad flan characteristic of the bracteate technique lends the design a shallow but distinct relief. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | (Translation: Virak (Modern city of Barak)) |
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| Additional information |
The Harikela kingdom occupied the coastal Bengal region roughly corresponding to modern Chittagong and Comilla, and its silver coinage is among the thinnest and most broadly spread of any medieval South Asian issue — a direct consequence of being struck to a very low module weight across an exceptionally wide flan. These coins passed through a trading network heavily tied to the Bay of Bengal's port economy, and examples turn up across a remarkable geographic range, from mainland Bengal to Arakan.
The Mitchell East Asia reference remains the primary catalogue authority for this series, and attribution within it is frequently contested among specialists due to inconsistent die relationships across surviving specimens.