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Debased AV Kahavanu - Vijaya Bahu I
| Issuer | Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (Sinhalese States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1055-1110 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | MSI#319 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | King shown standing in profile to right, right arm raised aloft holding a lotus flower; an altar with flame occupies the lower field, with pellets-in-annulets distributed in the surrounding fields. The composition follows the established iconographic canon of the Polonnaruwa-period kahavanu, rendered in the characteristic schematic style with deeply struck, boldly abstracted figural elements. |
| Reverse script | Devanagari |
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| Additional information |
Vijaya Bahu I reclaimed Sri Lanka from the Chola occupiers in 1070 after nearly seven decades of South Indian domination, but the treasury he inherited was effectively stripped. The debasement visible in this kahavanu — gold alloyed well toward electrum — reflects the fiscal reality of rebuilding a kingdom from a hollowed-out base, not a policy of deliberate fraud. Coin production resumed under severe constraint.
The kahavanu type itself had been the dominant gold currency of the island since the Anuradhapura period. Vijaya Bahu's issues continued the form while the metal quietly told a different story.