Gingee (Senji) Nayakas Muthu Venkatappa Nayak Southern India Copper Kasu

Gingee (Senji) Nayaka Dynasty, Muthu Venkatappa Nayak (c. 1586–1629 CE), Denomination: Kasu, Composition: Copper, Weight: 3.55 grams, Diameter: 13 mm, Type: Hammered Copper Coin, Reference: ICM #2410, About Very Fine, Very Scarce.

Obverse: Lord Vishnu standing gracefully within a circular dotted border, displaying the characteristic Vaishnava iconography of the Gingee Nayaka coinage.

Reverse: Mixed dynastic legend “Venka / Tapa” arranged in two lines, representing the ruler’s name in the traditional South Indian scripts.

Muthu Venkatappa Nayak was an important ruler associated with the Gingee (Senji) Nayaka tradition of South India during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Gingee developed as an important Nayaka centre under the wider political influence of the Vijayanagara Empire. The Nayakas maintained a strong military establishment and controlled the strategically important Gingee region, renowned for its formidable hill fortifications. Their administration supported temples, regional trade, and local artistic traditions. Coinage of this period frequently incorporated Hindu religious imagery, particularly representations of Vishnu, together with short legends identifying the issuing ruler. Gingee remained an important political and military centre until the Nayaka principality was eventually absorbed by the Deccan Sultanates.

Coinage Note: This extremely rare copper Kasu represents the distinctive coinage of the Gingee Nayakas. The obverse features standing Lord Vishnu enclosed within a dotted circular border, while the reverse carries the abbreviated Venka/Tapa legend. Such religious imagery reflects the strong Vaishnava traditions of South Indian Nayaka coinage.