Obverse. Photo © Sovereign Rarities
  • 1/2 Pagoda 1808-1812, KM# 353, Madras Presidency
  • 1/2 Pagoda 1808-1812, KM# 353, Madras Presidency
Description

The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the whole of the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Odisha, Kerala, Karnataka and the union territory of Lakshadweep. The city of Madras was the winter capital of the Presidency and Ootacamund or Ooty, the summer capital.

• Weight varies 20.81-21.30 grams
• Diameter varies 34.9-37.1 mm
• Can be found over-struck on large plugs made from Spanish or Spanish Colonial 8 Reales

Obverse

Depicts a seven-tiered surrounded by stars and value in English and Persian on a buckled garter belt.

A Gopuram or gopura (Sanskrit: गोपुरम्, gopuram) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple.

HALFPAGODA نیم هون پهلوي

Reverse

Depicts at the centre within circles of beads a figure of Vishnu surrounded by the denomination in Telugu and Tamil on a ribbon with its ends separated by a star.

Vishnu is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and the Supreme Being or absolute truth in its Vaishnavism tradition. Vishnu is the "preserver" in the Hindu triad (Trimurti) that includes Brahma and Shiva.

In Hindu iconography, Vishnu is usually depicted as having a pale or dark blue complexion and having four arms. He holds a padma (lotus flower) in his lower left hand, Kaumodaki gada (mace) in his lower right hand, Panchajanya shankha (conch) in his upper left hand and the Sudarshana Chakra (discus) in his upper right hand. A traditional depiction is Vishnu reclining on the coils of the serpent Shesha, accompanied by his consort Lakshmi, as he "dreams the universe into reality".

அறை பூ வரகண
అర పూ వరాహని

Edge
Characteristics
Material Silver
Weight 21.17 g
Diameter 35.5 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Madras Mint (no mintmark)

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