1883.] 
43 
G. Bidie —The Pagoda or Vardha coins. 
gives 4 figures of coins of the same series and observes, that they are 
ascribed to the Vira Raya of Coimbatore, and are the “ Garuda Mudras,” 
No. 11 of the Mackenzie Catalogue of Hindu gold coins. This would 
appear to be a mistake, as they are undoubtedly the “ Gunda Bharundas,” 
No. 30 of the Mackenzie Collection. The figure on the coin is described 
by Wilson as “ a double-headed figure of Garura, holding an elephant in 
each beak and each claw.” In Southern India this two-headed bird is 
always known as “ Ghunda Bhairunda,” and is regarded as distinct from 
Garuda, which has but one head. Considerable doubt has Hitherto existed 
as to the dynasty to which these remarkable coins belong, but this is now 
settled by the coin figured, for the reading of which I am indebted to Dr. 
James Burgess. Specimens of the “ Ghunda Bhairunda” are not uncommon 
in copper, and a representation of one of these is given in plate II, fig. 10. 
Ob. A two-headed bird like the Russian emblem, but holding a 
small elephant in each beak and in each claw. 
Pev. Sri Pratapa Deva Raya. 
The Deva Raya here referred to was the third king of the Vijaya- 
nagar line, counting Harihara and Bukka as conjoint sovereigns. He 
reigned from 1401 to 1451, and was frequently involved in sanguinary wars 
with Firoz Shah of the Bahmani house of Kalbargab, although Firoz 
married his daughter. Abdul Razzak the Persian ambassador who visited 
Vijayanagar in A. D. 1441, during Deva Raya’s reign, says, # that the city 
was “ such as eye has not seen nor ear heard of any place resembling it 
upon the whole earth.” “ In the king’s treasury there are chambers with 
excavations in them filled with molten gold in one mass. All the inhabi¬ 
tants of the country, whether high or low, even down to the artificers of the 
bazaar, wear jewels and gilt ornaments in their ears and around their necks, 
arms, wrists and fingers.” “ The jewellers sell their rubies and pearls and 
diamonds and emeralds openly in the bazaar.” The architectural and 
general features of the city are also described, and it is said “ the country 
is for the most part well cultivated and fertile, and about 300 good seaports 
belong to it,” also that it “ is so well populated that it is impossible in a 
reasonable space to convey an idea of it.” 
PI. I, Fig. 11. The forms of this coin in the Museum, although 
evidently struck with different dies, yet agree generally both as regards the 
inscription and the figures on the obverse. The popular names under 
which they were from time to time received from various districts of the 
country differ greatly, and, curious to say, not one of them implies that the 
coin belonged to the Vijayanagar house. The type of the obverse of this 
pagoda appears to have been a favourite one, as not only was it adopted by 
subsequent sovereigns of the dynasty, but also by the Nayaks of Bednur, 
* Rice’s “Mysore Gazetteer,” Vol. I, pp. 228, 229. 
