The Kadamba kings ruled over large areas of Karnataka from the 4th to 14th centuries A.D. They minted a large number of interesting coins. The majority of these are of gold but some copper coins are also known. Most of the coins were produced by the punching method. Each alphabet or symbol on the coins has been punched with a different punch. The main device or design is punched at the centre of the coin. Often, this is punched so deeply that the coin assumes the shape of a concave saucer or cup.
A few rare Kadamba gold coins have been produced by a queer combination of the die-striking and the punch-marking techniques. These coins display on one side, a die-struck design, while the other side features a series of symbols, punched one after the other.
The Kadamba coins are generally known as padmatankas (lotus coins) as the central symbol on the obverse of most of them is the lotus (padmtt). The obverse of some Kadamba coins features the lion instead of the lotus.
