Over one hundred gold coins dating to the Vijayanagara period have been unearthed at a historic Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu, revealing a concentrated cache of medieval wealth linked to temple worship and royal authority.

The hoard was discovered inside an earthen pot near the sanctum sanctorum of the Kovilur Shiva temple, located atop the Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai district, during ongoing restoration and excavation work.

The find consists of 103 punch-marked gold coins of varying sizes and shapes, all assessed to be made of pure gold.

Following the discovery, the site was secured, and the coins were transported and deposited in the district treasury under the provisions of the Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878.

Officials from the archaeology and revenue authorities moved quickly to cordon off the immediate area of the find.

The recovery location, close to the central shrine of the Later Chola-period temple complex, indicates a deliberate placement of the hoard within a core sacred zone long associated with ritual activity.

Composition and Features of the Coin Hoard

Preliminary assessments indicate that the 103 coins are punch-marked and relatively small, with an approximate size of around 5 millimetres.

They display noticeable variations in shape and dimensions but share a consistent appearance of high-purity gold.

The coins prominently carry a boar emblem associated with sovereignty and state power in the Vijayanagara realm.

This emblem is linked to the Varaha form, traditionally connected with divine sanction and royal legitimacy in the period’s numismatic system.

The stylistic and symbolic attributes of the coins connect them to the broader tradition of Vijayanagara imperial coinage.

On this basis, they are tentatively assigned to the reigns of rulers such as Harihara II or Krishnadevaraya, placing them broadly within the 14th–16th centuries CE.

Location and Archaeological Setting

The Kovilur Shiva temple, where the coins were found, belongs to the Later Chola period and is positioned atop the Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai district.

The temple’s setting on a hilltop and its association with an earlier medieval dynasty provide a layered historical backdrop for a later Vijayanagara-era deposit.

The hoard was recovered during restoration and excavation work carried out in the vicinity of the sanctum sanctorum.

Its location in close proximity to the main shrine suggests a connection to ritual practices, temple offerings, or endowments rather than casual or incidental loss.

The juxtaposition of a Later Chola-era architectural context with Vijayanagara-period coinage reflects a long continuum of sacred use at the site.

It also points to the possibility that the temple retained importance as a religious and economic institution across multiple dynastic phases.

Handling Under the Indian Treasure Trove Act

Following the discovery, the coins were formally secured and transferred to the district treasury in accordance with the Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878.

This legal framework governs the recovery, registration, and custodial management of buried valuables of historical or monetary significance.

The immediate transfer of the coins to the treasury ensures both physical security and formal documentation of the find.

It also facilitates future examination, cataloguing, and potential display or preservation measures under regulated conditions.

The use of the Treasure Trove Act procedures underscores the official recognition of the hoard as an object of public and historical interest.

It establishes a structured path for further study, value assessment, and decisions regarding long-term custody and conservation.

Indicative Dating and Royal Associations

Numismatic features of the newly discovered coins place them firmly within the Vijayanagara imperial tradition.

The boar emblem and punch-mark format, along with their small yet high-value gold content, align with known patterns of Vijayanagara coinage.

The coins are believed to have been produced during the reigns of prominent Vijayanagara rulers such as Harihara II and Krishnadevaraya, covering a broad span between the 14th and 16th centuries CE.

This timeframe corresponds to a period of political consolidation, territorial expansion, and active temple patronage in South India.

The association with specific rulers is based on stylistic and emblematic parallels to established coin types from the empire.

While detailed die studies and metallurgical analyses may refine this dating, the present assessment already situates the hoard within a stable chronological window.

Numismatic Profile of the Vijayanagara Empire

The Vijayanagara Empire, which flourished from the 14th to the 17th centuries, developed a sophisticated monetary system that extended across South India and into wider trading networks.

Its coinage is known for systematic use of precious and base metals and for an elaborate visual language linking kingship, religion, and economic exchange.

Gold coins, particularly pagodas and their subdivisions, formed a central element of the monetary structure.

These were complemented by silver taras and copper jitals, enabling transactions at multiple levels of the economy.

Gold was generally reserved for high-value purposes such as temple endowments, religious offerings, and royal payments.

The newly discovered hoard fits within this pattern, given its gold composition and its context at a significant hilltop temple site.

Metal Types and Denominations

Vijayanagara coinage prominently featured gold pagodas, including full, half, and quarter denominations.

These coins were carefully standardized to facilitate long-distance trade and to maintain confidence in their value.

Silver coins, known as taras, and copper pieces, often classified as jitals or equivalent minor denominations, circulated alongside gold issues.

This hierarchy of metals allowed the empire to support everyday market exchanges while preserving gold for ceremonial and large-scale financial uses.

The coins at Kovilur constitute a hoard of small gold pieces, aligning with patterns in which compact, high-value coins could be easily stored, transported, and accumulated as temple wealth.

Their punch-marked nature suggests an emphasis on clear, instantly recognizable symbols of authority rather than extensive inscriptions.

Religious and Artistic Imagery on Coins

Vijayanagara coinage often carried images of deities that reflected the empire’s religious and cultural profile.

Depictions included Shiva and Parvati (Uma-Maheshwara), Vishnu and Lakshmi, Balakrishna, and the double-headed eagle known as Gandaberunda.

These motifs underscored devotional themes while simultaneously reinforcing the legitimacy of the issuing ruler.

The presence of such imagery on coins also mirrored the close interlinking of royal authority and temple institutions across the empire.

While the full iconographic range of the Kovilur coins awaits detailed visual analysis, their boar emblem alone positions them within this established symbolic system.

That emblem functioned as a concise marker of dynastic identity and divine sanction.

Legends, Languages, and Inscriptions

Coins of the Vijayanagara period commonly bore legends inscribed in scripts and languages prevalent in the region, including Devanagari, Kannada, and Tamil.

These inscriptions typically contained the ruler’s name and honorifics that emphasized valour, power, or devotion.

One well-documented pattern involves the use of titles such as “Sri Pratapa,” signalling the king’s martial prowess and status.

Such epithets transformed coins into portable statements of authority, circulating far beyond the immediate political centre.

Although the Kovilur hoard has been described primarily in terms of its punch-marks and emblems, it belongs to the same numismatic tradition in which legends, language, and iconography worked together to project power.

Further study will clarify to what extent inscriptions are present and legible on these specific pieces.

Symbolism of the Boar Emblem

The boar emblem, or Varaha, featured on the Kovilur coins served as a critical symbol in Vijayanagara statecraft.

As an avatar with strong associations in religious narratives, it reinforced the idea that royal rule operated under divine approval.

This emblem appeared not only on coins but also on seals and other official insignia across the empire.

Its repeated use created a visual continuity between coins in circulation, documents of administration, and monumental art.

On the newly uncovered coins, the boar motif directly links the hoard to the apparatus of imperial authority.

Its presence within a temple context further illustrates the fusion of political symbolism and religious patronage.

Economic Role of Vijayanagara Coinage

Vijayanagara coins played a dual role as both economic instruments and custodians of temple wealth.

They facilitated trade across South India and beyond, including routes extending into Sri Lanka and the wider Indian Ocean region.

At the same time, gold issues in particular accumulated in temples as offerings, endowments, and financial reserves.

Such reserves supported ritual activities, maintenance of temple complexes, and associated cultural institutions.

The Kovilur hoard aligns with this pattern of temple-linked accumulation.

Its placement within a religious precinct and its composition of numerous small gold pieces point towards a structured practice of depositing, safeguarding, or dedicating wealth in sacred spaces.

Temple Endowments and Devotional Offerings

The small size and pure gold content of the Kovilur coins are consistent with the idea that they were minted or selected for devotional use.

They may have functioned as offerings made by individuals, groups, or representatives of the royal court.

Temple endowments in the Vijayanagara period could take the form of direct coin deposits, land assignments whose revenue was converted into coin, or gifts earmarked for specific rituals.

The hoard may represent accumulated contributions associated with particular festivals, deities, or liturgical needs.

Their concentration in a single pot near the sanctum suggests an intentional act of storage.

Whether that act was primarily ritual, financial, or precautionary in nature remains to be clarified through further archaeological and textual study.

Interplay of Chola Heritage and Vijayanagara Patronage

The Kovilur Shiva temple originates in the Later Chola period, a time marked by extensive temple building and reformulation of sacred landscapes in South India.

Centuries later, Vijayanagara emerges as a primary inheritor and patron of many of these same institutions.

The presence of Vijayanagara gold coins within a Chola-period structure demonstrates continuity rather than rupture in patterns of temple patronage.

It reflects a process in which newer powers engaged with established temples, reinforcing their status while integrating them into revised political networks.

This continuity underlines the ongoing importance of the Jawadhu Hills temple as a religious centre long after its initial construction.

The Kovilur hoard therefore documents not only monetary history but also the sustained life of a sacred site across dynastic transitions.

Archaeological and Numismatic Significance

The discovery at Kovilur adds a discrete, well-contextualized hoard to the body of Vijayanagara coin finds in South India.

Its secure association with a specific temple, district, and stratigraphic context enhances its analytical value.

Because the coins were recovered during organized restoration work, their context can be documented and correlated with architectural features of the site.

This offers a clearer framework for interpreting the purpose of the deposit than is often available with chance finds.

The hoard also creates opportunities for systematic study of metal content, weight standards, iconography, and wear patterns.

Such work can refine understandings of production techniques, circulation zones, and the practical use of gold currency in religious environments.

Implications for Regional Monetary Networks

The Kovilur find underscores the integration of hilltop temples into broader monetary and trade circuits under Vijayanagara rule.

Temple locations, even in relatively elevated or remote areas, functioned as nodes in economic as well as religious networks.

Gold coins reaching such locations illustrate the geographic reach of imperial monetary policy and the willingness of donors to mobilize high-value resources in support of temple activity.

They also indicate that temples served as repositories of wealth that could, in some cases, remain undisturbed for centuries.

Mapping this hoard alongside other documented Vajayanagara-era finds may help reconstruct regional patterns of circulation in the Tiruvannamalai region and adjoining territories.

This, in turn, can clarify how political authority and religious patronage interacted in shaping regional economies.

Prospects for Further Research and Conservation

With the coins now held in the district treasury under the Indian Treasure Trove Act, avenues are open for formal numismatic and archaeological examination.

Such work may include detailed cataloguing, high-resolution imaging, metallurgical analysis, and comparative study with known Vijayanagara coin types.

The Kovilur temple site itself remains an important focus for continued archaeological and architectural investigation.

Ongoing restoration provides opportunities to document structural phases, identify additional deposits, and understand how temple spaces were organized around ritual and storage functions.

Any future public display or interpretive initiative will depend on conservation planning and administrative decisions under existing heritage and treasury protocols.

For now, the coins remain in official custody, and further technical analysis and documentation are expected to proceed within that framework.