India (British EIC) Madras 1808 Silver Quarter Pagoda aEF

The India (British East India Company) Madras 1808 Silver Quarter Pagoda is a fascinating colonial-era coin struck under the EIC for circulation in Southern India. Composed of silver and bearing traditional South Indian design elements, it reflects the Company’s dominance in regional trade. Coins such as the quarter pagoda occasionally reached the Australian colonies through merchant ships and military connections, where diverse foreign silver was pressed into service during the currency-starved early years of New South Wales.

The Quarter Pagoda displays remarkable Anglo-Indian artistry, with a richly detailed obverse showing Vishnu holding a sword in his left hand, surrounded by symbols including a star above and lotus below, all within a double beaded circle. Encircling this is a forked ribbon inscribed in Tamil (“Kaal Varakan”) and Telugu (“Kaal Varahan”), both translating to “Quarter Pagoda.” The reverse depicts a seven-tiered temple gopuram enclosed within a buckled garter belt, carrying the English legend “QUARTER PAGODA” alongside a Persian inscription “Pau hun phuli,” or “Quarter of a Flower.” Its edge is finished with oblique milling, grained right.

Its presence aligns with the “Proclamation Era,” when Governor King sanctioned select international coins for legal tender, underscoring the colony’s reliance on global trade.