B.
Prasith Balan, a 10th-class student of the government higher secondary school, in
Selvanayagapuram, near Mudukulathur in Ramanathapuram district, has found a
1000-year-old Eelam coin bearing the name of Rajaraja Chola I.
During
an evening special class for Tamil subject in the Government Higher Secondary
School, Selvanayagapuram, a 10th-class student, B. Prasith Balan, found a
1000-year-old coin bearing the name of Rajaraja Chola I (985-1012 AD) in the
school playground and informed the school Head Master, M. Ahmed Faisal. Based
on the information given by the school, V. Rajaguru, the founder of the
Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation, examined the coin. Regarding
this, he said:
The coin found by the student is a copper Eelam coin bearing the name of Rajaraja Chola I. Coins play a vital role in the study of history and culture. Eelam coins were issued as a special release in the context of Rajaraja Chola I's conquest of Sri Lanka. These coins were in use from the time of Rajaraja Chola I to the time of Kulothunga Chola I. These coins were issued in gold, silver, and copper. Although minted for use in Sri Lanka, they were also in circulation in the territories under Chola rule.
On
one side of the coin, a man stands holding a flower in his hand, with four
circles to his left. Above them is the crescent and below is a flower. To the
right are a trident and a lamp. On the other side, a man is seated, holding a
conch in his hand and near their left hand, the words "Sri Raja raja"
are inscribed in three lines in Devanagari script. The inscriptions are not
clear due to verdigris on the coin. The edges are worn.
While
Eelam coins have been found in several coastal villages of Ramanathapuram
district, such as Periyapattinam, Thondi, Kalimankundu, Alagankulam,
Koraikuttam and Thiruppullani, its discovery in an inland area is of historical
significance. Students from the Government Higher Secondary School in
Thiruppullani have found these coins in several villages. He said this. The
school Head Master, M. Ahmed Faisal and the teachers congratulated the student
who found the ancient coin.

























