Double Jittal - Tiruvannamalai Coin 1520-1610 AD

The Vijayanagara empire maintained Tiruvannamalai — site of the great Arunachalesvarar temple complex — as a significant administrative and religious center throughout the sixteenth century, and locally issued copper fractions like this double jittal were the grease of daily market exchange rather than prestige issues. The jittal denomination itself descended from sultanate-era currency conventions absorbed and adapted as Vijayanagara expanded northward into formerly Bahmani-controlled territories.

The ninety-year window assigned to this type reflects genuine uncertainty in attribution; provincial copper issues from this empire resist tight dating because they were struck by regional authorities with inconsistent die control and minimal documentary record.