Coins provide insights on ancient Tamil Nadu’s commerce: Numismatic researcher

Trichy: Ancient coins act as important documents offering valuable insights into the history and commerce of ancient times, said Arumuga Seetharaman, director of the Thanjavur Numismatic Research Centre.He was speaking at a lecture organised by The Thanjavur Tourism Development Council on Saturday. Titled ‘Tamil Nadu Coins – 400 BCE to 1840 CE’, the event was conducted under the guidance of district collector R RevathiArumuga Seetharaman traced the evolution of currency in India, beginning with the barter system and leading up to the emergence of coinage in the 5th century BCE. “Coins are vital historical documents that provide valuable insights into the names of rulers, administrative languages, religious beliefs, and the economic conditions of different eras.”Seetharaman elaborated on the rich diversity of scripts found on Tamil Nadu coins, which include Tamil-Brahmi, Pallava Grantha, Nagari, Telugu-Kannada, Devanagari, Persian, and English. “The comparative studies of these inscriptions have greatly helped historians reconstruct India’s past,” he said.District tourism officer S Varadharajan and Tourism Development Council coordinator engineer S Muthukumar attended the event.