Kahavanu days of Sri Lanka’s coins

Saturday, 4 January 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By D.C. Ranatunga Reaching the National Mutual Building in Upper Street in Fort near the Clock Tower, I didn’t notice anything different in the exterior from what

we were used to seeing several decades ago except a new coat of white paint. The old style building dating back to 1914 has always been an iconic landmark in Fort. The head office of the insurance company, National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Ltd., it was the tallest building in Colombo at that time. It is now known as the ‘Central Point Building’ taking off from the fact that the Clock Tower is located at the central point of the network of which starts from Colombo. The present owner, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, has completely done up the building, maintaining the original, unique architectural design. Economic History Museum The Central Bank is using the building to set up the ‘Economic History Museum of Sri Lanka’. The first stage is already in place with the setting up of the exhibition ‘From Puraana to the Rupee’ based on the coins, notes and other artefacts which were earlier at the Central Bank’s Currency Museum. One walks up to the first floor and enters the exhibition hall to be greeted by an impressive model depicting an advanced stage in the exchange of goods under the barter system. It was an exchange of commodity-based money when animals like cows, pigs and chicken were exchanged for commodities like tobacco leaves, salt, rice, coconut and dry fish. The numerous panels set up across a number of halls then go on to describe the development of currency in Sri Lanka. The panels are in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Specimens are displayed in glass cages adjacent to them. The lighting inside them needs improvement since in some it’s difficult to identify the coins. Story of Sri Lankan currency Sri Lankan currency is a long story dating back to the Anuradhapura era. ‘Kahapana’– a Pali term, also called ‘Puranaya’ – is the earliest coin to be mentioned in the ancient texts. These were silver engraved coins. The metal had been flattened and the sheets had been cut to strips. They were of varying shapes – square, round, rectangular or elongated. The coins had been authorised by the King and carried the Royal stamp. Each owner of the coins had added a marking to them. Thus different symbols are seen in them. One coin had been identified with 20 symbols like the sun, the moon, a tusker, a dog and a tree. It is believed that these had been initially produced in India and reached Sri Lanka through Indian traders. They had been used from 3 BC to 1 AC in several areas including Anuradhapura to Ambalangoda, Tissamaharama, Jaffna and Trincomalee. Other small coins with markings had been in use in the Anuradhapura era. The tusker and a swastika is one such type. A copper coin with the image of a lion on one side and three or four dots is another. Female figures had been used in 3 BC-8 AC – the first recorded coin being the ‘Lakshmi Thahadu,’ metal sheet featuring goddess Lakshmi. ‘Kahavanu’ ‘Kahavanu’ are the gold coins minted by the Sinhalese. These were either gold or gold-plated. A human figure standing on a lotus stem is seen on the face of the coin. Its upturned left hand is holding an object against the tilted face. It is believed to be the figure of Kuvera, the God of Wealth. On the flipside of the coin is a conch and lotus flower. The ‘Ada Kahavanu’ is half the value of a ‘Kahavanu’ and has ‘Sri Lanka’ inscribed on one side. There are four sizes of the ‘Kahavanu,’ the weight ranging from 68-70 grams to eight grams. Foreign coins had been found in the Anuradhapura era with a large number of Greek, Roman, Chinese, Arabic and Indian coins being found. This is proof that Sri Lanka had been functioning as a naval base in the past.