(sold for $8.0)

1850, India. Silver "Bull & Lakshmi" Votive Tanka (Temple Token) Coin. VF+

Condition: VF+
Mint Place: Uncertain
References: Mitchiner 4729.
Mint Year: 19th-20th Century
Denomination: Holy Cow & Lakshmi
Material: Silver alloy (uncertain, probably low purity!)
Weight: 12.62gm
Diameter: 29mm

Obverse: Humped bull (Siva`s bull Nandi?) walking left. Legend below, pseudo-date (943900) above.

Reverse: Laksmi with four arms seated cross-legged on a lotus. All within wreath.

Indian religious tokens were used as presentation pieces at temples and funerals, as well as gifts to friends and colleagues. Typical scenes are of Rama and Siva (hence the generic term "ramatanka" for these tokens), but other deities from the Hindu pantheon also show up. Most are of silver-washed base metal, only early issues are mede of good silver, like the one offered here. Most are Hindu, from Calcutta and Bombay, but examples for Sikhs, Muslims and even Christians are also to be found. Similar pieces in gold served as a handy repository of wealth, and would also be included in bridal dowries.

Lakshmi (Sanskrit:लक्ष्मी, lakṣmī, ˈləkʃmi) is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity (both material and spiritual). She is the wife and active energy of Vishnu. Her four hands represent the four goals of human life considered important to the Hindu way of life – dharma, kāma, artha, and moksha. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments. In Buddhist sects of Tibet, Nepal, and southeast Asia, goddess Vasudhara mirrors the characteristics and attributes of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi with minor iconographic differences.

Lakshmi is also called Sri or Thirumagal because she is endowed with six auspicious and divine qualities, or Gunas, and also because she is the source of strength even to Vishnu. When Vishnu incarnated on the Earth as the avatars Rama and Krishna, Lakshmi incarnated as his respective consorts: Sita (Rama's wife) and Rukmini (Krishna's wife). In the ancient scriptures of India, all women are declared to be embodiments of Lakshmi. The marriage and relationship between Lakshmi and Vishnu as wife and husband, states Patricia Monaghan, is "the paradigm for rituals and ceremonies for the bride and groom in Hindu weddings."

Archaeological discoveries and ancient coins suggest the recognition and reverence for goddess Lakshmi in the Scytho-Parthian kingdom and throughout India by the 1st millennium BC. Lakshmi's iconography and statues have also been found in Hindu temples throughout southeast Asia, estimated to be from second half of 1st millennium AD.

In modern times, Lakshmi is worshiped as the goddess of wealth. She is also worshipped as the consort of Vishnu in many temples. The festivals of Diwali and Sharad Purnima (Kojagiri Purnima) are celebrated in her honor.

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