Lot 526: India, Medieval Ceylon. Sahasa Malla. A.D. 1200-1202. Æ massa.

India, Medieval Ceylon. Sahasa Malla. A.D. 1200-1202. Æ massa (20 mm, 3.42 g). King seated right, with left arm raised; Nagari legend below arm: Sri/mat Sa/hasa/ Mala / Standing king in centre, with lamp at left and globes at right. MNI 840-841.

Although the style of this coin reflects Chola origins, it belongs to the period after the Singhalese were able to wrest back control of Sri Lanka from the Cholas.According to Codrington, Sahasa Malla’s coins come with four different legends, depending on whether or not the first word srimat has the t present or not, and whether the final letter is a single la or double la. This specimen has a clear t and a single la.