The East India Company - Swami Pagodas

East India Company - Madras Presidency, "Swami Pagodas"

Single Swami / Star Gold Pagoda - 3.26g
Three Swami Pagoda - 3.4g

Gold Pagoda - Kadambas of Hangal

Kadambas of Hangal, 12-13th Century AD, Gold Pagoda, 4.24g, 22mm, Mitchiner, South I, 229-231; MNI 666

Obv: Seated Hanuman (monkey god) facing right; chowry (fly-whisk) and shankh (conch) at sides, ankus (goad) below, Kannada letters "NA / KA/ RA" in exergue (meaning Nakareshvara, the presiding deity of Bankapura).

Rev: Ornamental floral scroll within decorative border.

Sri Krishnadevaraya Gold Pagoda - Bala Krishna type

This coin was minted probably in 1513 AD to commemorate and celebrate the conquest of the eastern Gajapati kingdom of Udayagiri or Utkala (in the present day Kalinga of Orissa state) then ruled by Pratapa Rudra Deva. It is said that following this victory, Krishnadevaraya seized the idol of Balakrishna (Lord Krishna as infant) and brought it to Vijayanagar as a war trophy. He then built the Krishna Temple at Hampi where the idol was then consecrated. The idol is now displayed in the state museum at Chennai and a huge slab installed inside the courtyard of the temple states the story of this temple and the conquest of Utkala.

Obverse: Crowned and ornamented cute Balakrishna, potbellied, seated on a dotted bordered dais with right leg folded, discus to right, conch to left, holding a lump of butter in right hand.