INTACH Madurai launches replicas of a Pandya coin as souvenirs

Context

• To promote understanding and learning of ancient Tamil life, culture and people INTACH Madurai launches replicas of a Pandya coin as souvenirs.

What is the significance associated with the release of coin?

• Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Madurai is trying to generate academic interest in the significance of ancient Tamil coinage among the people.
• Antiquated coins contain a lot of history and are a means to understand how civilisations flourished in the past.
  

Important features of Pandyan Coins

• The coins of the Pandyan Kingdom were mostly copper coins and were struck with a die.
• The silver and gold coins were also found in the Pandyan Kingdom.
• The coins of Pandyas were basically square.
• The coins were with five distinct images on one side, often an image of an elephant on that side and a stylised fish on the other.
• The animals inscribed on coins includes Elephant, Garuda, Bull, Fish
• These rectangular coins of the early Pandyans also featured the Nandi bull and contain Chakrams.
• Upon the revival of the Kingdom in the 7th-10th centuries, the predominant image was one or two fish, and the Pandyan bull.
• The inscription on the silver and gold coins is in Sanskrit and Tamil-Brahmi, and most of their copper coins have Tamil legends.

Pandya dynasty

• The Pandya dynasty, also known as the Pandyas of Madurai, was a dynasty of south India, one of the three ethnically Tamil lineages, the other two being the Chola and the Chera.
• The Pandyas are mentioned by Asoka in the third century B.C. as one of the rulers of the southand were still actively ruling the southern extreme in the 17th century A.D.
• The Pandyas ruled extensive territories, at times including the large portions of present-day south India and Sri Lanka.
• Madurai was capital of the pandya kingdom.
• Religiously the ancient Pandyas were Jains with a strong influence of the Dravidian religeon. Aruhakkadavul was the major God.
• The later day Pandyas after 600 AD were Hindus who proudly claimed to descend from Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
• Rock cut and structural temples were a significant part of the Pandya architecture.
• The vimanaand mandapa are some of the features of the Pandya temples.
• Meenakshi Amman Templein Madurai and Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunelveli were built during the reign of the Pandyas.