ShivaFan
05 June 2012, 11:30 PM
Hindu Temple Coins
Sometimes these were call Ramatankas. Temple coins or tokens which pictured the Devas on the coins and often included native script including date, name of a local saint or the name of the temple and location, goes back centuries. Early on they were stamped and used as holy offerings, but by the 1800’s they are produced for sale at holy sites and temples as a source of income for the temple and kept by devotees as holy tokens or even murthis. Some were made by fine jewelers and many in metal from Calcutta based metal shops. Some of the stamps were used through the 19th Century into modern era.
In the 12th Century they were often minted in gold, mostly these were found in South India. This is because Muslim rulers who controlled areas of Nothern India forbade any such holy tokens which depicted a figure or Deva, or any human-like stamps such as depictions of saints and mystics.
After World War II, Diwali tokens became popular, often in silver. These would depict Ganesha and Lakshmi. However, in the olden days, most of the temple coins depicted the great epics, especially from the Ramayana. Thus the term “Ramatankas”, they would be stamped with Sita-Ram and of course the beloved Hanuman. Coins of Lakshman, Bharata and Shatrughnawere also made.
In July of 2011, a treasure worth over 10 billion dollars (500 billion rupees) including such coins were found in vaultsunder the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram India, and there are more secret chambers which have been closed for over 150 years. This is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and built hundreds of years ago by the King of Travancore, but has origins back to the 6th Century, and has many treasures which are donations by devotees. It is considered one of the108 Divya Desams or Holy Abodes of Maha Vishnu. Thousands of gold coins and tokens were found. Since Independence, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore Royal Family have managed the temple. However, India’s Supreme Court ordered that the temple valuables will be managed by the State. The actual value in materialistic terms o fthis temple exceed that of Tirupathi Temple in Andhra Pradesh which was thought to be the richest temple. This value of the treasures at the Vishnu temple is believed to actually exceed that of Tirupathi, and it is believed that in fact there are many other temples which have coins, jewelry and wealth of equal value that may tempt plunder by materialists and government both domestic and international - for example the 108 Vishnu Temples so noted. Islamic invaders have sent various documentsand “espionage” information to faraway Islamic states regarding specific, likely locations, and there is without question an interest in plundering such treasures to this very day by such foreign entities which would be justified under the pretext of Islamic law.
Temple coins can bring great benefit to the holder. They can bring blessings, definitely good luck, even communion with the Deva. Such a coin can be used if needed, such as if you become holy and a demon puts you into a “Ravana maze” (such as a Labyrinth which Ravan had built before the Palace and Garden) to pay an exit toll from a guardian gate. You should carry a temple token!
Here is a scan of one of my temple coins, of Hanuman from 1839 – it is an old stamp every 100 years, e.g. there was an 1939 version for example 100 years later. On one side is the famous “Sach Bola, Sach Tola” (Speak the Truth, Scales of Truth) with an early stamp of Hanuman and two cats holding the scale, and on the other side Hanuman standing. It is said if you obtain 3 of this same coin you will obtain Siddha. I also have Shiva-Parvati old temple coin from East India Company (the Company sponsoredsome coins for some temples) from 1816.
AUM NAMAH SIVAYA
Sometimes these were call Ramatankas. Temple coins or tokens which pictured the Devas on the coins and often included native script including date, name of a local saint or the name of the temple and location, goes back centuries. Early on they were stamped and used as holy offerings, but by the 1800’s they are produced for sale at holy sites and temples as a source of income for the temple and kept by devotees as holy tokens or even murthis. Some were made by fine jewelers and many in metal from Calcutta based metal shops. Some of the stamps were used through the 19th Century into modern era.
In the 12th Century they were often minted in gold, mostly these were found in South India. This is because Muslim rulers who controlled areas of Nothern India forbade any such holy tokens which depicted a figure or Deva, or any human-like stamps such as depictions of saints and mystics.
After World War II, Diwali tokens became popular, often in silver. These would depict Ganesha and Lakshmi. However, in the olden days, most of the temple coins depicted the great epics, especially from the Ramayana. Thus the term “Ramatankas”, they would be stamped with Sita-Ram and of course the beloved Hanuman. Coins of Lakshman, Bharata and Shatrughnawere also made.
In July of 2011, a treasure worth over 10 billion dollars (500 billion rupees) including such coins were found in vaultsunder the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram India, and there are more secret chambers which have been closed for over 150 years. This is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and built hundreds of years ago by the King of Travancore, but has origins back to the 6th Century, and has many treasures which are donations by devotees. It is considered one of the108 Divya Desams or Holy Abodes of Maha Vishnu. Thousands of gold coins and tokens were found. Since Independence, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore Royal Family have managed the temple. However, India’s Supreme Court ordered that the temple valuables will be managed by the State. The actual value in materialistic terms o fthis temple exceed that of Tirupathi Temple in Andhra Pradesh which was thought to be the richest temple. This value of the treasures at the Vishnu temple is believed to actually exceed that of Tirupathi, and it is believed that in fact there are many other temples which have coins, jewelry and wealth of equal value that may tempt plunder by materialists and government both domestic and international - for example the 108 Vishnu Temples so noted. Islamic invaders have sent various documentsand “espionage” information to faraway Islamic states regarding specific, likely locations, and there is without question an interest in plundering such treasures to this very day by such foreign entities which would be justified under the pretext of Islamic law.
Temple coins can bring great benefit to the holder. They can bring blessings, definitely good luck, even communion with the Deva. Such a coin can be used if needed, such as if you become holy and a demon puts you into a “Ravana maze” (such as a Labyrinth which Ravan had built before the Palace and Garden) to pay an exit toll from a guardian gate. You should carry a temple token!
Here is a scan of one of my temple coins, of Hanuman from 1839 – it is an old stamp every 100 years, e.g. there was an 1939 version for example 100 years later. On one side is the famous “Sach Bola, Sach Tola” (Speak the Truth, Scales of Truth) with an early stamp of Hanuman and two cats holding the scale, and on the other side Hanuman standing. It is said if you obtain 3 of this same coin you will obtain Siddha. I also have Shiva-Parvati old temple coin from East India Company (the Company sponsoredsome coins for some temples) from 1816.
AUM NAMAH SIVAYA