Pandya Kingdom, Sangam period, Anonymous bronze unit, c. 3rd - 1st century BCE

Pandya Kingdom, Sangam period, Anonymous bronze unit,

 c. 3rd - 1st century BCE

Weight: 7.82 gm., Dim: 29 x 22 mm.

Elephant right, barred trident and altar before, various symbols above /

Stylized fish (Pandya dynastic symbol)

Ref: MAC 4988-95, Krishnamurthy 52-54

After the collapse of the Mauryan empire around the end of the 3rd century BCE, a number of small kingdoms were established all over India. In southern India, three major dynasties, the Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas, emerged as powerful rulers. This period saw a cultural flowering, particularly of literature in the Tamil language, and has been called the Sangam age, after the Sangams, or Literary Conventions, that were held at that time. Coin 8 is a magnificent copper issue of the Pandya kingdom from roughly this time period. It shows an elephant standing right along with a number of symbols on the obverse and a highly stylized fish, the dynastic symbol of the Pandyas, on the reverse. The artistic standard of the carving is quite high.

The square shape of the coin and the presence of multiple symbols recalls the characteristics of the Mauryan coinage. However, there is an important difference. The symbols have all been carved on to a single die, which has then been used to strike the coin. Thus the coin is die-struck rather than punchmarked, evidence of Greek influence. The symbols on the coin seem to be both Hindu and Buddhist. The barred trident in front of the elephant and the crescent moon above seem quite clearly Shaivite, while the railed tree and the wheel are likely Buddhist in origin. Thus the coin provides some concrete evidence for the theory that the Sangam age was characterized by religious toleration.