So far the only Chola coins posted in this forum came from the medieval imperial Cholas (985 AD- 1044 AD), when emperors like Raja Raja and his son Rajendra expanded their empire to encompass all of South India, and reach as far as the South East Asia. However, these following coins come from a time when the Cholas were just another local Kingdom! This period is known as the Sangam age of Tamil society (300 BCE-300 AD), when trade and literature flourished among the three main kingdoms (Chera, Chola and Pandyas). Since the period encompasses 600 years, the date range of these coins are only an estimate. 1. Sangam Chola anonymous ruler, these square shaped coins came before the circular issues, the obverse features a standing tiger raising its tail, and the reverse has an elephant with religious symbols above, with a horse following behind. 0.86 g A better example from https://ancient-indian-coins.blogspot.com/2018/07/ 2. This coin is circular, and there are unconfirmed sources that say it belongs to the king Karikala Chola from the early 2nd century AD, he built the 'Kallanai dam' aka the Grand Anicut across the river Kaveri, one of the ancient dams still functioning. This coin features a tiger with pelleted circles, and an elephant with religious symbols. 0.84 g. A better example from Vcoins Unlike the later coins of Raja Raja which are often found in hoards and come in range of preservation, these Sangam coins are mostly picked individually along the river beds showing signs of stratified form of corrosion, and they are much scarcer!
