Lot 438: THAILAND / BURMA: Dvaravati Mon Kingdom, AR Sankh Shell, AD 500 (26.5mm, 9.5g)

THAILAND / BURMA: Dvaravati Mon Kingdom, AR Sankh Shell, AD 500 (26.5mm, 9.5g). VF, some edge chips. The Mon-Dvaravati culture produced the most beautiful and extensively used coinage of early South-East Asia. Perhaps the most commonly featured design was the conch shell, known in Sanskrit as a sankh. The conch shell was associated with Vishnu, one of the main triad of Hindu deities. Its spiralling circles were said to represent the expanding of the Universe under the benevolent protection of Vishnu the Preserver. Furthermore, you can, of course, blow through a conch and produce a sound. The sound of the conch was associated with the sound ‘aum’, which is the syllable which had summoned the Universe into being. Hence the conch is also a Hindu symbol of the creation of the universe. The reverse of the coin features a rather abstract design of a Mon place of worship. It looks like a small, wooden wat or a spirit house of the kind which are still ubiquitous in Thailand. This pairing of the conch and temple seems to be very common on those ancient silver coins from the Dvaravati civilization. It is a reminder that while the Mon were early proponents of the Buddhist faith, traces of Hinduism were also present within their culture zone. VF. Appealing and unique sculptural coin.

• Offered By: Anne Dohrenwend
• Lot #: 438
• Listing #: 192405
• Closed: Friday, July 2, 2021 6:25:40 PM CT
• Estimate: $275