Most of the pre-modern coinage used in Sri Lanka or coins used in pre-Christian

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

can be categorised as punch-marked coins, tree and swastika coins, elephant and swastika coins and Lakshmi plaques.

Punch-marked coins

They are referred to as punch-marked coins or eldings. Similar coins have been unearthed throughout the island. Large numbers of such coins have been found in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka too but a study on regional varieties is yet to be done. Image:Coin Punch 1.jpg, A punch marked coin Image:Coin punch 2.jpg, A punch marked coin These punch marked coins are usually in

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

and have assorted combinations of symbols punched on them, Usually the reverse of the coin is blank. Stylistically these coins are similar to coins used in the Indian sub-continent during this period. A recent publication on these coins attempts to identify symbols peculiar to Sri Lanka. Some of the more popular symbols are Sun, Moon, elephant, bull, nandipada, fish and peacock. The diversity of symbols suggests that these coins have been issued by regional rulers or traders and not by a central monarchy.

Tree and swastika coins

The tree and swastika coins are always cast. The tree on these coins is sometimes called a bo-tree, a tree with religious significance to

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

s. However, as these coins are pre-Buddhist, the tree is more likely to be a widely accepted holy tree from the region. Image:Coin Tree Swas.jpg, A tree and

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...

coin Image:Coin tree swas Rev.jpg, The reverse of the tree and

coin

Elephant and swastika coins

The older coins of this type are cast and the later ones are struck. The cast coins are much thicker than the thinner struck coins. A struck coin is illustrated below. Image:Coin Ele Swa Rev.jpg, An elephant and

coin Image:Coin Ele Swas Obv.jpg, The reverse of the elephant and

coin

Lakshmi plaques

Chera coins

The goddess

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

coins are either cast or struck. The two coins illustrated below are cast. They are found in may sizes ranging from about 3 inches to half an inch. The obverse of these coins bear the image of the goddess holding lotus stalks, surmounted by two elephants pouring water. Initially these were thought to be votive offerings. but now scholars are unanimous that they were indeed coins. They are early coins of the Chera Dynasty from about 500 BCE found in

Kandarodai Kandarodai ( ta, கந்தரோடை, translit=Kantarōṭai, si, කදුරුගොඩ, translit=Kadurugoḍa, also known as ta, கதிரமலை, translit=Katiramalai) is a small hamlet and archaeological site of Chunnakam town, a ...

. Image:Coin Laksh 2 Obv.jpg, A goddess

coin Image:Coin Laksk 2 Rev.jpg, The reverse of the goddess

coin Image:Coin Lakshmi Obv.jpg, A goddess

coin Image:Coin Lakshmi Rev.jpg, The reverse of the goddess

coin

The early period

Pandyan and Pallava coins

The bull, elephant and fish symbols figure prominently on the coins used in northern Sri Lanka by the Pandyan Dynasty during the early period. The lion features prominently on the

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

coins. Image:Coin_Rectang_BullA.JPG, A rectangular

Nandi Bull Nandi ( sa, नन्दि), also known as Nandikeshwara or Nandideva, is the bull vahana of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone-images of a seated Nandi, g ...

coin Image:Pandyan bull coin with fishes.jpg, A Pandyan

coin, fishes on the reverse side Image:Jaffna coin of horse and fishes.jpg, Three fishes (vertical) and horse standing before a lamp Image:Coin_Pallava_Lion_Obv.jpg, A Pallava lion coin Image:Coin_Pallava_Lion_Rev.jpg, The reverse of the Pallava lion coin Image:Elephant fish coin1.JPG, An Elephant and Fish coin Image:Temple between hill symbols and elephant coin of the Pandyas Sri Lanka 1st century CE.jpg, A temple between hill and elephant coin of the Pandyas, 1st century, Ceylon, British Museum

The medieval period

Chola coins

Gold and copper coins issued by the

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

ruler Rajaraja Chola (985-1014) are excavated from many parts of Sri Lanka. The obverse and reverse of these coins are similar to the common Dambadeniya Massa coins issued by later

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writin ...

and Pandya rulers of Sri Lanka. This prototype for the Dambadeniya coins uses

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

characters on the reverse for the kings name. Image:Coin_Raja_Raja_Rev.gif, A gold coin of Rajaraja Chola Image:Coin_Raja_Raja_Obv.gif, The reverse of the Rajaraja Chola gold coin with a seated human figure and the king's name in

Image:Coin_Rajaraja_copper_Obv.jpg, A copper coin of Rajaraja Chola with a Tiger besides the human figure Image:Coin_Rajaraja_copper_Rev.jpg, The reverse of the Rajaraja Chola copper coin with a seated human figure and the king's name in

Image:Coin_Rajadhiraja_Obv.gif, A coin of

Rajadhiraja Chola II Rajadhiraja Chola II (1166–1178 CE) reigned as the Chola king succeeding Rajaraja Chola II. Rajaraja Chola II chose Rajadhiraja II, a maternal grandson of Vikrama Chola Because he had no sons. Rajadhiraja II's father was Sangama chola (Neriyud ...

with a lion surmounted by a sword Image:Coin Rajadhiraja Rev.gif , The reverse of the

coin with his name in

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental syste ...

Image:Coin_Utttama_Chola_Obv.gif, A silver coin of

Uttama Chola Uttama was a Chola Emperor who ruled from 973 CE to 985 CE in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. According to Tiruvalangadu plates of Rajendra Chola, Madurantaka Uttama Chola's reign is placed after Aditya II. The latter may have been a co-regent ...

with a Tiger and two fish Image:Coin_Utttama_Chola_Rev.png, The reverse of

coin with his name in

Sethu bull coins

Several types of coins categorised as Sethu bull coins are found in large quantities in the northern part of Sri Lanka. Three types of this series are illustrated below. The obverse of these coins have a human figure flanked by lamps and the reverse has the

Nandi (bull) Nandi ( sa, नन्दि), also known as Nandikeshwara or Nandideva, is the bull vahana of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone-images of a seated Nandi, ge ...

symbol, the legend ''Sethu'' in

with a crescent moon above. The obverse is similar to the contemporary ''Massa'' coins issued by the rulers of the central Sri Lankan kingdom of Dambadeniya. Image:Setu_I_Obv.jpg, A Setu coin Image:Setu_I_Rev.jpg, The reverse of the Setu coin

The late period

These coins known as 'Parakramabahu lion type' are found in large numbers in the northern and western parts of Sri Lanka. The king is Parakramabahu VI of Kotte and the coins are believed to have been issued by Sapumal Kumara (also known as Chempaka Perumal) who ruled Northern peninsula from nallur on behalf of the Kotte king, for some years. Although some writers have suggested that the lion represents Sinhala dominance over the Jaffna Kingdom, others have pointed out that the lion is stylistically Tamil, and unmistakably so. As illustrated above the lion symbol was used on Jaffna coins by

rulers as well. The lion on the

is very similar to the lion on the present Lion Flag of Sri Lanka.

The Dutch period

These heavy rough copper coins were struck by the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

to use in the Jaffna territory. They were issued in the denominations of 1 and 2

Stuiver The stuiver was a coin used in the Netherlands, worth Dutch Guilders ( 16 ''penning'' or 8 ''duit'', later 5 cents). It was also minted on the Lower Rhine region and the Dutch colonies. The word can still refer to the 5 euro cent coin, which ...

s. These coins are also referred to as 'Dutch dumps'. Coins similar to those minted in

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...

were minted in Trincomalee,

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

and

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

as well and they bear the letters T, C and G respectively as mint marks. Image:Coin_Negapatam_obv.gif, A Dutch

struck in Negapatam with a human figure which appears to be a crude imitation of the figure on the Setu coins Image:Coin_Negapatam_Rev.gif, The reverse of the Negapatam

with the legend Nagapattinam in

Image:Coin_VOC_J_Obv.jpg, A Dutch

stuiver The stuiver was a coin used in the Netherlands, worth Dutch Guilders ( 16 ''penning'' or 8 ''duit'', later 5 cents). It was also minted on the Lower Rhine region and the Dutch colonies. The word can still refer to the 5 euro cent coin, which ...

struck in Jaffna with the VOC monogram of the

surmounted by the letter J indicating that the coin was struck at the Jaffna mint Image:Coin_VOC_J_Rev.jpg, The reverse of the Jaffna

with the

letters 'E' and 'B' abbreviation for Istrib (stuiver)

References

{{Portal, Money * H. W. Codrington, ''Ceylon Coins and Currency'' * Abhayawardena Coins of Ceylon * Punch marked coins of Sri Lanka * Seyone Jaffna coins
lakdiva.org

Coins, pre-modern