Princely State of Travancore Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma II Copper 1 Cash Coin

Reverse: Seated Goddess Lakshmi holding lotus blooms within beaded circle.

Issued during the reign of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma II, this tiny copper Cash represents the indigenous coinage of the princely state of Travancore in southern India. Swathi Thirunal was one of the most celebrated rulers of Travancore, renowned not only for his administrative reforms but also for his patronage of music, literature, and the arts. Struck between 1830 and 1839, these small copper coins circulated extensively in local markets and facilitated everyday transactions among the common people. The conch shell on the obverse served as the royal emblem of Travancore and symbolized the state’s close association with Hindu traditions and the worship of Lord Padmanabha. The reverse depicts Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of prosperity and fortune, reflecting the religious and cultural identity of the kingdom. Despite their diminutive size, Cash coins played an essential role in the regional economy and remained in circulation alongside larger denominations. Today, these issues are valued by collectors as important relics of one of India’s most prosperous and culturally distinguished princely states.

Coinage Note: The Cash was the smallest denomination in the Travancore monetary system. Featuring traditional Hindu iconography, these copper issues illustrate the distinctive numismatic heritage maintained by Indian princely states during the nineteenth century.