Indian temple tokens

The earliest of the Rama-tankas may have been actual coins (not token coins or medals). The coins issued by the 12th century Chahamana king Vigraharaja IV can be considered as a precursor of the later Ramatankas.[1] The earliest extant mention of the Rama-tankas can be found in the Dravya-Pariksha (1318) of Thakkar Pheru, a mint-master of the Delhi Sultanate. Pheru describes the gold coins known as Sita-Rami.[2]

Historically, the coins appear to have been used for exchange. For example, a record from the Vijayanagara Empire mentions that "10,080 Rama-tanki varahas, 2000 Lakshmi-pati varahas, and 10,050 Puttalikas" were spent on the foundation of a new village called Kunidi. Thakkar Pheru also suggests that the rama-tankas were used for exchange, when he states that if a Sita-Rami coin is "ten mashas in weight and ten ban gold, it is worth being kept for worship and not to be exchanged."[3]

A series of gold Rama-tankas, originating in the Vijayanagara Empire, feature the scene of Rama's coronation. These coins are now used as objects of worship in the modern Indian homes.[4]

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  A silvered copper-alloy Rama-tanka depicting Rama's coronation on one side, and Rama-Lakshmana on the other side
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  A silvered copper-alloy variant depicting Rama's coronation on one side, and Rama-Lakshmana on the other side
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  A temple token depicting the Jagannath triad on one side, and Krishna-Radha on the other side
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  A silver coin depicting Kali on the obverse, and Krishna-Radha on the reverse

A popular silver token, found at Ayodhya and other pilgrimage centres of north India, features images of Rama and Lakshmana with a legend on the obverse, and depicts Rama's coronation on the reverse side.[5] On the obverse, Rama and Lakshmana are depicted wearing a dhoti, both wearing crowns, and holding a bow on their left arms. Rama is shown with a trident in his right hand. The legend surrounding them reads Rāma Lachamana Jānaka java(ya)ta Hanamānaka ("Victorious are Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, and Hanuman"). The tokens also bear a date that reads 17 śana 40, which probably means Vikrama Samvat year 1740, that is, 1683 CE. On the reverse, Rama and Sita are shown on a throne, under a chhatra. They are flanked by Lakshmana on right, Bharata and Shatrughna at the left, and Hanuman at bottom.[6] A variant of this token shows tridents in the right hands of both Rama and Lakshmana, and bears the date 517-40, which may refer to the year 51740 of a fictitious calendar era.[7]

The Rama-tankas are generally associated with Rama, but similar temple tokens featuring other deities also exist. For example, a silver token that probably originated at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, features the triad worshipped at the temple.[5] The obverse depicts the triad (Jaganatha, Subhadra, and Balarama) standing, with the Sanskrit legend śrī-śrī-Jagannāthasvatrayi ("the Jagannatha triad") in Devanagari script. The reverse features Rama's coronation scene; variants with the 517-40 date also exist.[8]

Depiction of Lakshmi on a coin of Chandragupta II. A silver temple token appears to be a 19th century adaptation of this coin.

Temple tokens not featuring Rama at all also exist.[5] For example:

• A brass token from the Bengal region features the goddess Kali on one side, and Radha and Krishna on the other side.[5] The obverse features the four-armed Kali standing on the chest of Shiva, and wearing a necklace of skulls. The legend Kali-mata ("Mother Kali") occurs in both Bengali and Devanagari scripts. The reverse depicts Krishna playing flute, with Radha to his left; both stand on a lotus, under a kadamba tree.[8] The legend Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa occurs in both Bengali and Devanagari scripts.[9]
• A silver token depicts Krishna and Radha in a dana-lila scene (in which Krishna asks gopis for tribute to let them pass) on the obverse, with a legend around it. The reverse features depicts Krishna as a cowherd driving four heads of cattle by a kadamba tree, with a legend all around.
• A brass token features Hanuman flying with a mountain (depicted as a triangular object) in his right hand, and a gada (mace) in his left hand, on the obverse. The reverse features a magic square of 9 numbers; the sum of each row and column is 15.[9]
• A silver token features a cow on the obverse, with the Devanagari legend 152100 (probably the year of an imaginary calendar era, to present the coin as an ancient one). The reverse features a four-armed Lakshmi, sitting cross-legged on a lotus. This depiction of Lakshmi appears to be a 19th-century adaption of the one featured on the coins of Chandragupta II.[10]

• Irwin F. Brotman (1970). A Guide to the Temple Tokens of India. Shamrock Press.
• Michael Mitchiner (2001). Ramatankas: Hindu Religious Tokens Illustrating Themes from the Ramayana. IIRNS. ISBN 978-81-86786-11-6.
• Roma Niyogi (1989). Money of the People: A Survey of Some Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Tokens of India. Indian Museum.

• Indian temple token (Rama-tanka) at Numista