Coins In Lucknow Mus. Vol 01 [56 MB - IndianCoins.org

12some oriental characters stamped on it, and a representation of aHindu temple. This coin I imagine to be intended for Madras,and cannot but lament that so miserable a specimen of our tasteand talents should be suffered to go forth. To say that theexecution is worthy of the design is to stigmatise both withdeserved reprobation." Writing about the Pagoda, Dr. Bidieremarks " l The common Tamil name for the pagoda is Vardha,an appellation due to the circumstance that some of the oldertypes had on the obverse the figure of a Vardha or Boar, thesymbol of the Chalukyas and kings of Vijayanagar, or the imageof Vishnu in the Vardha avatar. The Hindustani name ofthe pagoda is Hun, a word probably derived from Honmt, theCanarese designation of the half pagoda. That the Mahomedansshould have adopted this corruption of the Canarese termfor the coin is explained by the fact that, when they invaded theCarnatic, they first saw the pagoda or half pagoda in the handsof a Canarese-speaking people. According to Sir Walter Elliotthe term vardha is never used in ancient Tamil records in connectionwith money, but the word pon, which was a piece equal tothe modern half pagoda, the pagoda itself being the double pon,which ultimately became the varaha"Speaking of the Chandragiri Pagoda Marsden 2says" : Chandragiri or Chandergherry, which gives name to thesehuns, is a town in the Karnatik, formerly the capital of whatwas called by our early travellers the kingdom of Narsinyha, inconsequence of its having been rendered a place of great strengthby Narsingha ltdjd of Vijayanagara. After the conquest ofthe latter city by the Mahometan States of the peninsula, inthe sixteenth century, a descendent of Narsingha transferredthe seat of Hindu government to Chandra-girl, from whencethe last of the race was expelled in 1646. It was from one ofthese rajas that the English East India Company purchased, inthe year 1620, the spot of ground on which stood the old fort andfactory of Madras, now inclosed within the works of Fort St.Greorge, together with the privilege of coining money, under thestipulation that the English should not fail to preserve on theircoinage the representation of that deity, who was the favouriteobject of his worship The female figure on the obverseappears to be that of Lakshmi. There are other specimens preciselyresembling this as to the reverse, which have three erectfigures (a male accompanied by two females) on the obverse,whose costume denotes them to be mortal rather than divine personages.These are vulgarly termed three-swami 3 pagodas, and1Journ. As. Soc., Beng-., 1883, p. 35.2Numismata Orientalia, 1825, pt. ii, p. 739, pi. xlviii, fig. mlxxvi.3 Notes from Yule and Burnell, op. cifc." Swamy, Sammy, s. This word is a corruption of the Skt. suamin, '.Lord.'It is especially used in South India, and in two senses : (a) a Hindu idol ;especially as Sammy, in the dialect of the British soldier. This comes from theusual Tamil pronunciation sami ; (b) the Skt. word is used by Hindus as a termof respectful address." Swamy-pagoda, s. A coin formerly current at Madras ; probably so calledfrom the figure of an idol on it. Milburn gives Swamy-pagodas =110 Star'Pagodas. A f/iree-swami pagoda ' was .a name given to a gold coin bearing onthe obverse the effigy of Chenna Keswam Swami (a title of Krishna) and on thereverse Laksh-ni and Rukmini."