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Kasu

Issuer Chola dynasty
Year 100 BC - 250 AD
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Value 1 Kasu (1⁄800)
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Reverse description Reverse die displays a stylized quadruped, likely a tiger or bovine figure, striding to the right in low relief across the roughly square copper flan. The animal is rendered with elongated body and visible limbs in a schematic, archaic artistic style consistent with early Chola coinage conventions. The field is plain and unadorned, with no surrounding legend or inscription. Surface shows typical patination and wear consistent with ancient circulation. The irregular flan edges are characteristic of the hand-hammered production method.
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Edge Irregular
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Additional information

The Chola kasu occupies an awkward place in South Indian numismatic chronology — the dynasty is well-attested in Sangam literature from roughly the same period, but physical attribution of these early copper issues remains contested, with MSI classifications relying heavily on findspot clusters rather than inscriptional evidence. Many examples surface from the Kaveri delta region, consistent with the Chola heartland around Uraiyur.