211 
1884.] J. Gibbs —A Paper on the Medals hnoion as Pamtinhis. 
The story on them all, illustrated to a greater or less degree, is that 
of Rcima and Sita, on their reconciliation and her having proved her purity 
after being seized and taken off to Lanka by Havana, and is taken from 
the Ramayana. The rows of figures are composed of men and monkeys, 
the latter forming part of the army of Hanuman by whose means Sita 
was rescued. In all the large ones, Hanuman is represented standing 
or kneeling in the centre of the row below Hama and Sita, and 
holding up a flower to them : in the smaller, he alone sits just below 
Hama and his consort. Sita in some is represented on Hama’s lap, in 
others seated by him on the gadi; the attendants have chowries and 
the umbrella. The monkey in the same row with Hama and Sita is 
SuGcriva the king of that tribe to whom Hanuman was adviser. In some 
the figure of a bear appears ; this is intended to represent Jambavat, 
the king of the bears, who with his army also aided Hama in his attack 
on Lanka. 
As none of these medals have any dates or any legible inscriptions, 
the determination of their age becomes a matter of great difficulty. 
From all I have been able to learn these pieces were never used as coins. 
At first, finding that there were 3 sorts, whole, half, and quarter Ham- 
tinkis, and that the weight of each sort was in correct proportion to the 
others, I was inclined to think they might have been coins, but I have 
now come to the conclusion that they are medals struck apparently for 
purely religious purposes. They are highly venerated in Southern 
India and most families of respectability there have one or more ; they are 
also kept in temples and used in the daily worship. They have been known 
for very many years, and in the absence of any actual evidence of their 
date I have been led to seek for any traditions which may exist, and the 
following has come to me from a trustworthy source. 
In about the 9th century A. D., there flourished a famous Refor¬ 
mer of the S'aiva sect named S'ankaracharya, who travelled about the 
country chiefly in Southern India and founded ‘ maths ’ or hermitages 
in various places; amongst others at Sringeri near the source of the 
Toombudra river, Koodalji in the Holehonor Taluka of the Seomoga 
division, in the Mysore territory, Sunkeshwar in the Chikkodee Taluka 
of the Belgaum Oollectorate, Humpi in the Hospet Taluka of the Hel¬ 
lary District, and some in Gujarat, one of which was I believe in Surat. 
In the course of time the subordinate Swamis became independent, and 
some of them very rich. The last Swami but one of Koodalji was one 
of these, and had a gold throne on which he sat to receive his disciples 
and followers. It was customary among these follow^ers to make large 
gifts to the shrine, in which were idols, images of Hama, Krishna, 
S'iva, &c., which, as well as the apparatus for performing the worsliip, were 
