Chikka Devaraya, Gold 1/2 Pratapa- Hon, 1.67g, Obv: Bal Krishna (Bal Gopal) dancing beneath arch, holding a ball of butter, Rev: Devanagari legend “Sri pra ta/ pa Vi ra Chi / kadeva” in 3 lines (MCSI 931). Very fine, extremely rare.
Chikka Devaraja was born on 22 September 1645, the eldest son of Maharani Amrit Ammani and Dodda Deva Raja (Devaraja Wodeyar I’s elder brother), who had been the governor of a town. He succeeded his uncle, Devaraja Wodeyar I upon the latter’s death on 11 February 1673. He continued his predecessor's expansion by conquering Maddagiri, thereby making Mysore contiguous to the Carnatic-Bijapur-Balaghat province administered by Venkoji, the Raja of Tanjore, and Shivaji Maharaj’s half-brother.