Century 3rd BCE. to 1st CE - Lanka
Inscribed Lead Token with Lizard

This Inscribed Lead token found in Akurugoda is Plate Specimen A.7. illustrated in 1999 book by Osmund Bopearachchi and Rajah Wickramasinhe Ruhuna. An Ancient Civilization Re-visited . The obverse image of token was also used on the cover page of this book.

SPECIFICATIONS
AlloyPb
TypeCast
Diameter15.4 mm
Thickness1.2 mm
Weight1.73 gms
MintRuhuna
 OBRW_A7_OBVERSE OBRW_A7_REVERSE

Obverse : Lizard with pointed head facing right and wipped tail to back. Legs with relatively large paws. Swastika turning left in front.
Reverse : Legend in Brahmi - ga pa ti du ta ka pu ta pu sa ha around central dot.

The coloured Artwork of Monitor Lizard; a realistic representation of the stylised drawing on coin, is by Wildlife Artist Sanjaya Weeratunge.

OBRW_A7_drawing

Identified as a stylised lion to right, looks like a lizard as the whipped tail extends behind the hind legs at the same size of body before thinning out. The oversize paws and the pointed head looks like that of a Monitor.

Click here for longer discussion of items from Ancient Ruhuna and links to other Plate coins from this book in the lakdiva collection.

The specimen was scanned at 600 dpi and displayed at 400 dpi.
It was obtained in 2016 May from Lalith Raddella in Colombo who had purchased a selection from Raja Wickramasinghe.