Lanka : 8-9th Century
Gold Type I Ada Kahavanu
Chank on ghata (Vase)
The anonymous gold Type I Ada Kahavanu -Chank on ghata (Vase) , from
8-9th Century Lanka. Codrington Ada Type I B. The crown on the reverse
resembles the helmet of the "seated horseman" at Isurumuniya,
Anuradhapura.
| SPECIFICATIONS |
| Denomination | One Kahavanu |
| Metal | Gold 0.?? |
| Alloy | Ag%Cu 0.?? |
| Type | Struck |
| Diameter | 17.5 mm |
| Thickness | ?.0 mm |
| Weight Std. | 2.27 gms |
| Weight | 2.13 gms |
| DieAxis | ?° |
|
| 
|
| Codrington 55 ; OMRS-25
|
Obverse : A Standing figure Kuvera, head to right, with
Nose, mouth and eye shown; crown, a semicircular line from top to back
of head, ending at the bottom in a thickened line. The right arm is
pendent. The left arm is bent with forearm at right angles to body,
holds a ghata (Vase) over which a chank. Compare with
Kahavanu Type I B(1). Legs bent right, dhoti (garment),
indicated by the curved line on either side. No line between the
legs. To left outside arm, a standing lamp. To right, a squat fire alter.
A beaded circle along the periphery of the coin.
Reverse : In A beaded circle Nagari legend Sri Lamka Beneath to left a
quatrefoil, to right, a smaller ka the meaning of which is not clear.
See also Ada Kahavanu which is the Plate Specimen
#55
in Codrington's Ceylon Coins and Currency, and
was in the Colombo National Museum Collection.
I thank Jan Lingen who kindly permited me to use the image of this
extremely rare gold ada kahavanu from his collection, which he uploaded
to zeno
which have been reduced to 600 dpi and displayed at 350 dpi.