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Viraraya Fanam
| Issuer | Kingdom of Travancore |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Stylized depiction of the conch shell (sankha), a sacred emblem of Travancore, rendered in a highly schematic hammered style. The upper field features a bold arch or horseshoe-shaped form representing the conch mouth, with a central globule in relief. The lower field displays a broad semicircular arrangement of raised pellets or dots, suggesting the body of the conch. The design is characteristic of the archaic, non-legended Travancore fanam type, with no inscriptions present in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Mint | Travancore Mint |
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| Additional information |
The Viraraya Fanam is among the smallest gold denominations struck by Travancore, a princely state that maintained its own coinage rights under British paramountcy well into the twentieth century. Travancore's monetary system was deliberately kept separate from British Indian issues — a point of administrative pride for the Travancore divan. The fanam itself is an ancient denomination with roots in South Indian and Sri Lankan trade networks predating the Raj by centuries.
KM#30 was struck under Visakham Thirunal, who reigned until 1885.