https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Travancore_fanamTravancore fanam - Revision history2026-08-18T09:18:15ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Travancore_fanam&diff=541821&oldid=prevAntoniojaw at 12:42, 30 January 20262026-01-30T12:42:52Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Obsolete currency of Travancore}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}<br />
The '''fanam''' was a type of money that was issued by the Kingdom of [[Travancore]], now mostly encompassing the modern day state of [[Kerala]] in [[India]]. The fanams (also spelt ''fanoms'') and chuckrams (or ''chakrams'') were known to be some of the smallest coins in the world{{cn|date=December 2025}}. Historically, the fanam and chuckram coins were the regular unit of currency in medieval Travancore and appear to have been extensively used for trading in the region. The words fanam and ''panam'' mean "money" in certain [[Dravidian languages]] like [[Malayalam]] which was the most spoken language in the kingdom.<br />
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[[File:Fanam1.jpg|thumb|Travancore Fanam (front) – Malayalam era&nbsp;1116]]<br />
[[File:Fanam2.JPG|thumb|Travancore Fanam (reverse)]]<br />
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==History==<br />
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The ''Panam'' ({{lit|fanam}}) coins were part of the traditional coinage in ancient Kerala and the time when these coins were issued is not verifiably known. ''Panam'' coins rose in popularity some time in the 13th&nbsp;century and remained as one of the most popular currencies in circulation in the following centuries.<ref>Traversing Travancore through the ages on coins ''by B. Sarasan'' (2008), p. 24.</ref> Other versions of the Fanams are also known to have been minted in Kerala by the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]] and [[Calicut kingdom|Calicut]]. The adjoining States in modern-day [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Karnataka]] and [[Sri Lanka]] are also known to have had their own versions of the Fanams. By the 18th&nbsp;century, the reduction in precious metal content had rendered the Travancore Fanam coins so small that they had become difficult to count. They were counted by pouring them in a pile onto a counting board (called ''palakas'') and shaking them into the holes on the surface of the board.<ref>''British and Native Cochin'', C. A. Lawson (1861), p. 146.</ref><br />
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The modern version of the Travancore Fanams were introduced into circulation around the year&nbsp;1800 (975&nbsp;ME) with a value equal to 4&nbsp;Chuckrams.<ref>''Travancore State Manual'', V. Nagam Aiya (1908), p. 172.</ref> These modern versions were minted in [[Trivandrum]] (now called Thiruvananthapuram) with the aid of stamping presses obtained from [[Madras Presidency]]. Later issues were minted using presses procured from England. While the older versions of the Fanams were based on gold or silver, these newer coins were primarily based on silver. They were issued until 1946–47 remaining in circulation until 1949 before being replaced by the [[Indian Rupee]] and Anna system.<br />
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==Inscriptions==<br />
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Older issues of the ''Panam'' coins are inscribed with various symbols representing religious deities or nature, but issues since the 1860s often had the names or insignia of the reigning monarch in English. The Fanam coins, when written in English, appear to display something similar to an Anglo-Germanic sound shift (termed as [[Grimm's law]]) from the traditional term "Panam".<br />
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The year, when printed on the Fanam coins was based on the [[Malayalam calendar]] (and corresponding Malayalam Era – ME) which begins circa&nbsp;825&nbsp;AD. Therefore, the year of issue of the coin can be found by adding 825 to it. For example, the year of issue of a coin showing 1000 ME, will be 1825&nbsp;AD. Therefore, the year of issue of the coin with year 1116, will be 1940–41.<br />
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Seven fanams made up one [[Travancore Rupee|rupee]], while the fanam was composed of 4 chuckrams. These chuckrams were further divided into 16 cash.<br />
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{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Unit !! Equivalent Sub-units<br />
|-<br />
| 1 Travancore Rupee || 7 Fanams<br />
|-<br />
| 1 Fanam || 4 Chuckrams<br />
|-<br />
| 1 Chuckram || 16 Cash<br />
|}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==See also==<br />
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{{Portal|Money|History|Numismatics|India}}<br />
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* [[Travancore]]<br />
* [[Travancore rupee]]<br />
* [[Indian rupee]]<br />
* [[Madras fanam]]<br />
{{Historic Indian currency and coinage}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Travancore Fanam}}<br />
[[Category:Modern obsolete currencies]]<br />
[[Category:Coins of India]]<br />
[[Category:Historical currencies of India]]<br />
[[Category:Kingdom of Travancore]]<br />
[[Category:Economy of Kerala]]</div>Antoniojaw