Gangas of Talkadu, Gold Gadyana, 3.99g, Obv: An ornate Elephant standing to right with chains hanging over its body, Rev: Floral scroll. Scratches on obverse otherwise extremely fine.
There is a general opinion that this type of coins are fakes. But these were circulated and heavily used as pendants in ancient jewellery. Such coins are known in hoards that contained Hoysalas and Gangas other types of Ganga coins. They were legally exchanged for the gold value and were often minted by the jewellers due to heavy demand. The Hanagal Kadambas coins too carry contemporary jewellers’ variations for Hanuman and Lion types. The reverse of the above coin shows a picture-perfect Floral scroll (Flower in the centre of the volute with leaf scroll) unlike typical leaf scrolls design.