Built by Eastern Chalukya king Raja Raja Nerendra on the banks of river Godavari, the city of Rajamahendravaram still has a live memory of him.
This August, the city had also celebrated completion of one-thousand years of the coronation of Raja Raja Narendra, who ruled the city in 1022. His regime came to an end in 1061.
The proud possession of the city is a bunch of seven gold coins that date back to the Eastern Chalukya dynasty including the regime of Raja Raja Narendra.
“We have seven gold coins belonging to the period of the Eastern Chalukyas. A few of them date back to Raja Raja Narendra’s regime given the evidences of inscriptions traced during the archaeological excavations in Rajamahendravaram in 1980s”, Archaeology and Museums Assistant Director K. Timmaraju told The Hindu.
The seven gold coins are now being preserved at Rallabandi Subba Rao Archaeological Museum (ASRAM) here.
Official symbol: “Of the seven gold coins, only one is big in size compared to the others. The big coins contains the image of ‘Varaha’ (boar), an official symbol of the Eastern Chalukyas. The big coin also contains some text in early Telugu script. It is believed to be minted marking ‘some donation’ by the Eastern Chalukyas”, added Mr. Timmaraju.
Mr. Timmaraju has admitted that there was no evidence of the location of the coins.
Traces: Renowned historian Rallabandi Subba Rao had collected the Eastern Chalukya coins and inscriptions from the Godavari region under the banner of the Andhra Historical Research Journal Society.
In 1960s, Mr. Subba Rao had handed over his private museum and collections of the artefacts to the State government. Later, the museum was named after him.
Apart from gold coins, the museum is also home for several evidences and artefacts including a Nandi idol that dates back to the time of Eastern Chalukyas.
The public could get access to have a glimpse of the gold coins at the RSR Museum in the city.
