170

THE CEYLON EXHIBIT.

Christian era, though very extensive—Ibn Batuta, the Moor
traveller, saw a hundred of the Sinhalese king’s trading
ships riding at anchor at one time off the Coromandel coast
80 late as 1344-—was almost entirely one of barter; but
South Indian copper coins of the seventh to the tenth
centuries, with the fish deviee of the Pandyans, the tiger of
the Cholians, or the lion of the Cheras, are frequently
met with.
Sinhalese copper massas are found in astonishing profusion
 ; these, half- and quarter-massas, with gold and silver
igsues of the same type, were struck by Parakkrama Bahu
(A.D. 1153-1186), Wijaya Bahu (1186-1187), Nissanka Malla
(1187-1196), Chodaganga Deva (1196-1197), Raja Lilavati
(Queen) (1197-1200), Sahasa Malla (1200-1202), Dhamasoka
Deva (1208-1209). and Bhuvanaika Bahu (1296). Of these,
the rarest are the coins of Chodaganga Deva and Nissanka
Malla and the lion coins of Parakkrama Bahu.
Compared with the Ceylon mintage of the Dutch towards
the end of the eighteenth century, these show an astonishing
degree of finish, though the conception of the human figure is
of the crudest. On the obverse is shown the standing figure
of the king, a conical hat on his head, a sceptre in his right
hand, and a lotus in his left ; two lines represent the drapery
wrapped round his waist. On the reverse is the same figure
seated, with the legend in the Nagara character, in which
Sanskrit was usually written. This coin served as the type
for several Indian issues. At the same time there were
current thin flaky fanams of gold of three or four types, a
somewhat similar issue in silver, the silver ¢ fish-hook »* (so
called from its shape, or laryn, apparently introduced by the
Arab traders with some coins of the Caliphs ; all these coins
were current even in the Dutch Settlements till the middle
of the eighteenth century. A large copper coin has also
been found and doubtfully ascribed to the Walagam Bahu
dynasty. The “Setu” bull coin, said to have been issued by
the Setupatis Lords of Ramnad, and hereditary guardians of
** Adam’s Bridge,” is also, though but rarely, found.
The Portuguese had a mint at Galle, but their local coins
are very rare, the most frequent being the silver “tanga”
with the arms of Portugal. A lead coin issued by them was
found in a gem pit fifteen feet below the surface ; but the
majority of their coins, including xerafims, reals, and San
Thomae, were probably struck in Europe. Venetian sequins
of this period are also found, and are greatly prized for the
purity of their gold.
The Portuguese Settlements on the coast were occupied by
the Duteh in 1646-1656 : the earliest of their coins is the