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Æ Unit - Elephant and Bull Ceylon Issue
| Issuer | Pallava dynasty (Southern India) |
|---|---|
| Year | 275-800 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Copper |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A left-facing elephant rendered in a bold, stylized manner occupies the central field of the flan. The animal is depicted with characteristic thick limbs and a prominent trunk, executed in a crude but vigorous relief typical of early South Indian coinage. The design fills the available flan, with no legend or inscription present. The irregular, roughly circular flan reflects the primitive hammered production technique of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Pallava attribution for elephant-and-bull copper units remains contested among South Asian numismatists — some specialists place the series with early Chalukya or regional subordinate mints rather than the Pallava court at Kanchipuram. What is agreed is that the bull symbol carried deliberate dynastic weight in this region, tied to Shaivite religious authority rather than purely administrative convention. The Ceylon association in older catalog traditions likely reflects circulation patterns in the Palk Strait trade network rather than a Sri Lankan mint origin.