U Fanam - 'Sangama' Chalukyas or Feudatories

The fanam was the workhorse denomination of medieval South Indian commerce, struck by an almost bewildering range of dynasties, feudatories, and local chiefs — which is precisely the identification problem this piece presents. The "Sangama" attribution is a later scholarly convenience; contemporaries would have recognized these by the issuing authority's symbol, not its dynastic name. Distinguishing genuine Chalukya issues from those of their numerous subordinate chiefs relies almost entirely on subtle die characteristics that remain incompletely catalogued.