RajaRaja Chola : 985 - 1014
Chola Occupation Copper massa

Copper massa of RajaRaja Chola (985-1014) of Thanjavur in TamilNadu with Sri Pathula Footprint and may represent the Chola conquest of Lanka in 993 CE.

SPECIFICATIONS Denomination One massa Alloy Copper Type Struck Diameter 17.7 mm Thickness 2.0 mm Weight 3.72 gms Shape Round Edge Plain DieAxis 120°
	Rajaraja Chola	Mitchiner #

The overall design is similar to the traditional Lanka type massa.
Obverse : Standing king with left arm raised to the face with ball. Cresent Moon at left elbow Sri Pathula (Buddha's Footprint) below. The temple lamp beyond the alter in which king makes an offering. All within circle of dots.
Reverse : Seated king on left facing right raised arm to the face with ball. Crescent to right. Legend below Sri Raja Raja in Nagari script. All within circle of dots.

My identification of the footprint Symbol to be that used to represent the Buddha footprint is since it has toes which are of equal length and has straight sides.
The upper three Indian RajaRaja Chola coins as shown on the right have a footprint which is identified with Vishnupadnam. The footprint is curved inwards in one or two places. The upper two coins has also 4 globes above the symbol and all 3 have a fish hanging from arm on the left of the coin. The 3rd coin refered to as Big Padam does not have the globes.

I thank Raman Sankaran for the top C.R. Rengaswamy for the middle RajaRaja Chola Padam coin images on the right sent in reply to my FaceBook post. in Indian Coins Collectors Club The bottom coin from 2015 post by Karthick Chandraseka in Facebook group Coin of the Day.

These coins are extensively discussed by Biddulph in his 1966 monogram on Coins of the Cholas. The Vishnupadnam shown above is very much like his coins 19 and 20 in this book which are from Lanka and says Generally much better executed than Indian specimens of the same type.
Biddulpath coin 21 is from the British Museum and has a large fish in the place and claimed to represent the Pandya conquest. That too has no dots or hanging fish on left edge. Bottom Image is from Numista

So it seems reasonable to infer that the above coin found in Lanka with a footprint with the shape of the "Buddha Footprint" is for the Lankan conquest of 993.

Rajaraja Chola (985-1014) invaded Lanka in 993 CE and conquered the northern half. Ruining Anuradhapura he made Polonnaruwa his capital on the island;. Rajendra (1014-1044) Chola succeeded in extended Chola occupation over the whole island of Lanka in 1018. Lanka became regained independence from Chola occupation in 1070 under Vijaya-bahu (1055-1110).

The massa coin was scanned at 600 dpi and displayed at 300 dpi It was purchased with an old collection from Anuradhapura in 2022 April.

Text edited from
* Coins of the Cholas: C. H. Biddulph, NSI #13, 1966.
* Oriental Coins: Michael Mitchiner, London, Hawkins Publications, 1978.