Eelam coin found by government school student

 

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.