Tripura Kingdom, Vijaya Manikya (SE 1454-1485, 1532-1564 AD), ‘Ardhanarishwara’ type, Citing Queen Lakshmi, Silver Tanka, 11.35 gms, SE 1482, Commoeration Issue, Obv. Ardhanarishwara composed of 2 halves, one 10 handed Goddess Durga seated on lion, another Half of 4-handed Lord Shiva seated on a bull & date below 1482, dotted borders around, Rev. Lakshya Snayi/ Sri Sri Tripura Ma/hesh Vijay Mani/kya Deva Sri Lakshmi/ Rani Devyah with scallop borders around, R&B #123, KM #67, extremely fine for the type, very clear & bold depiction of Ardhanarishwara, very rare. Note: It is very very rare to find an Ardhanarishwara type with this quality, which is centrally struck with bold and high relief on the obverse. The silver Rupee coins depicting Ardhanarishvara were issued to commemorate a sacred "Lakshya Snayi" (bather in the Lakshya) ritual bath that Vijaya Manikya performed in the River Lakhi, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. This bath occurred during a successful military raid into the Muslim territory of Bengal, making the coin a commemorative issue for both a significant military victory and an associated religious rite. The representation of the Shiva-Durga form of Ardhanarishvara likely indicated the king's personal devotion to these deities. The specific depiction, which combined the ten-handed Durga on a lion and the four-handed Shiva on a bull on a single coin face, was considered an ingenious concept and a novel contribution in the history of Indian coinage and iconography, previously unknown in the region.