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Anantaraya 2 fanams - Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma
| Issuer | Kingdom of Travancore |
|---|---|
| Year | 1758-1798 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | Central field displays an upward-facing crescent or bow-shaped device surmounted by a cluster of raised pellets or granules arranged in a roughly triangular group, a conventionalized representation associated with Travancore fanam types. A horizontal line or bar element appears below the crescent device, set within a plain field. The entire design is enclosed by a continuous border of raised beads. No inscription or legend is present; the design relies entirely on symbolic geometric and religious motifs typical of this hammered gold series. |
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| Mintage | ND (1758-1798) |
| Additional information |
Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma ruled Travancore from 1758 to 1798, a reign defined in large part by the kingdom's fraught relationship with Hyder Ali and later Tipu Sultan of Mysore. The near-constant threat of Mysorean invasion — most acutely during the 1789–1790 campaign in which Tipu's forces breached the Nedumkotta defensive line — pushed Travancore into closer alignment with the British East India Company, formalized through the 1795 subsidiary alliance.
The fanam remained Travancore's primary gold denomination throughout this period, struck in large quantities to service temple economies and local trade. The Anantaraya type takes its name from the dynastic title invoking Ananta, the serpent deity of the Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram, to whom the Travancore rajas dedicated their kingdom.