3 Review(s)

Suvarna Mohur is a coffee table book where India’s history is expressed through a different perspective – it’s rare coins. Coins provide not only evidence of trade and economy but also bear testimony to the history, politics and art of a nation. Suvarna Mohur traces India’s history from the time the first coins were minted about 2500 years ago. Our political and social landscape has changed significantly from century to century with each successive period enriching our ancient civilisation and making it a more diverse country than it ever has been. Such diversity is also reflected in India’s coinage. Ranging from punch-marked types to rather uniquely shaped octagonal ones, from the world’s largest coins to the smallest ones, from coins used for everyday transactions to much sought after ones that were used as jewellery and from resplendent gold coins to the more ubiquitous copper varieties; India’s coins are not just a collector’s delight but also serve to illuminate our magnificent culture. The remarkable history of an epoch appears to spring to life when viewed in conjunction with the coinage representing that era. Suvarna Mohur, while charting India’s history over the millennia, presents a bouquet of 133 rare coins which, in the author’s opinion, are best illustrative of our country’s antiquity, ethos and traditions. Arun Ramamurthy’s ‘Suvarna Mohur’: India’s Glorious History Illustrated through Rare Coins’ is a beautifully detailed representation of India’s History through coins and currency from across the many civilisations and empires of India’s diverse past. With its unique approach of using coins to negotiate and understand themes related to Indian society and traditions of the time, this is an insightful read into our heritage.” Dr. Shashi Tharoor Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Suvarna Mohur is about coins. It is also about Indian history. Indian coins have a rich heritage spanning more than 2500 years. For its artistic merit, its variety spanning across diverse regions, for its beautiful symbolism and for the legacy it has left across various parts of the world, Indian currency ranks as one of the greatest coinages ever known ! Pick any coin and it will have a fascinating story to tell. Indeed, each coin is a silent witness to the ebbs and flows of our beautiful motherland. Suvarna Mohur, while charting India’s history over the millennia, presents a bouquet of 133 rare coins which are best illustrative of our country’s ancient and glorious civilisation.