946) 500th Anniversary of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's coming to Vrindavan (1486-1533): A Rs.500/- Quaternary Silver Coin issued by the India Government Mint, Kolkata in 2015: Coin received by me from the Kolkata Mint on 07.03.2019 who had taken bookings for delivery of these coins from 12/18 to 02/19:

946) 500th Anniversary of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's coming to Vrindavan (1486-1533) in 1515 AD (1515-2015): 
A Rs.500/- Quaternary Silver Coin issued by the India Government Mint, Kolkata in 2015: Coin received by me from the Kolkata Mint on 07.03.2019 who had taken bookings for delivery of these coins from 12/18 to 02/19:

I received India's second Commemorative Rs.500/- coin set ever issued by the India Government Mints from the Kolkata Mint a couple of days ago. This is the second Rs.500/- Commemorative coin after the "3rd India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III) 26 to 29.10.2015" Commemorative Coin set issue of Rs.500/- and Rs.10/- by IGM, Kolkata in 2015.

My earlier post on the IAFS III coin can be visited at the following link: HERE

I had ordered two sets of the Proof Coin set from the Kolkata Mint. To my utter surprise, I found that when I opened the two albums,  the Quaternary silver coins popped out and fell in my hand, while the two Rs.10/- bimetallic coins had got pushed into the jacket in a way, that they had to be retrieved by "hand" to be placed in their proper places. Even then, the coins have been placed slightly awry and could not be placed in an "upright manner".

The quality of packaging at the Kolkata Mint leaves much to be desired. If this is the way Proof coin set buyers are being treated by the Kolkata Mint, then I wonder what is the state of affairs while handling Uncirculated coin sets while being shipped out from the mint.

Proof coin sets are normally "blasted" into the albums, without the touch of human hands, but I don't know how things are going to improve at the India Government Mints, if this is the state of affairs. 

About Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (18.02.1486 - 14.06.1534):

He was born as the second son of Jagannath Mishra and his wife Sachi Devi in the village of Dhakadakshin, Gopalganj, Srihatta, in the Indian State of Bengal. Another tradition believes, that he was born in Mayapur, located on the banks of the River Ganga, at the point of its confluence with the River Jalangi near Nabadwip, West Bengal, India about 130 kilometres North of Kolkata.

He was a Hindu mystic, saint and the chief proponent of the "Achintya Bheda Abheda" (This school of Vedant thought represents the tradition within Hinduism propounds the "inconceivable oneness with the creator" and "difference with the creator") and "Gaudiya Vaishnava" (believes in the "relationship of creation and the creator", "between God and his energies").

From a very young age, he used to chant and sing Lord Krishna's names with rapture.

During a religious ceremony at the town of Bodh Gaya (present day located in the Indian State of  Bihar), he received initiation from an ascetic named Ishvara Puri into the "Gopala Krishna mantra".This meeting with the ascetic brought about a complete transformation in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Thereafter, he  left Bengal and joined an "order of Sanyasa" ("Renunciation" - group of ascetics) led by Swami Kesava Bharati. He journeyed throughout India.

Later, he travelled to the great temple city of Jagannath Puri, in the Indian state of Odisha, where hespent 24 years of his life. Here he sunk deeper into "Divine Love" (Samadhi) and "Divine ecstasy" (bhakti) for Lord Krishna.

In the year 1515, he visited Vrindavan with the purpose of locating the lost holy places associated with Lord Krishna, including temples as old as 5,500 years.  Vrindavan - "the City of Temples" had more than 5,000 temples devoted to Lord Krishna's transcendent pastimes. The essence of Vrindavan was lost over time until the 16th Century. 

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wandered through the different sacred forests of Vrindavan in a spiritual trance of divine love. Through his divine spiritual powers, he was able to locate all the important places associated with Lord Krishna in and around Vrindavan including the seven main temples (or "Sapt Devalay") which are worshipped by Vaishnavas in the Chaitanya tradition to this day.

He also expounded the Vaishnava school of "Bhakti Yoga" (meaning "loving devotion to God") based on the "Bhagwad Purana" (one of Hinduism's eighteen great religious texts - it promotes "Bhakti ("devotion") to Lord Krishna, integrating themes from the "Advaita" ("monoism") philosophy and from "Dvaita" ("dualism") philosophy) and the "Bhagwad Gita" (a 700-verse Sanskrit scripture, which is part of the Hindu Epic - "Mahabharat").

He popularised the chanting of the "Hare Krishna mantra" and composed the "Siksastakam" ("eight devotional prayers" or "verses of instruction") in Sanskrit.

His epistemological, theological and ontological teachings are summarised as "ten maxims" ("dus mula") -

Krishna is the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Krishna is endowed with all energies.

Krishna is the source of all "rasa"- flavour, quality or spiritual rapture/emotions.

The "jivas" (individual souls) are all separated parts of the Lord.

In bound state the "jivas" are under the influence of matter, due to their "tatastha" nature.

The "jivas" and the material world are both different from and identical to the Lord.

In a liberated state the "jivas" are free from the influence of matter, due to their Tatastha" nature.

Pure devotion is the practice of the "jivas".

Pure devotion to Krishna is the ultimate goal.

Krishna is the only lovable blessing to be received.


His followers - "Gaudiya Vaishnavas" revere him as Lord Krishna himself. His birthday is celebrated as "Gaura-purnima".

He is sometimes referred to as "Gauranga" or Gaura" (meaning "fair complexion") and "Nimai" (as he was born under a "Neem tree").

His influence on the cultural legacy in Bengal and Odisha is quite significant, with many devotees performing daily worship to him as an "avatar" ("incarnation") of Lord Krishna.

The Commemorative Proof Coin set of Rs.500/- and Rs.10/-:

The Front Cover of the Coin Album is titled "500TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU'S COMING TO VRINDAVAN"

Below the title is seen Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in an ecstatic dance pose singing the praises of Lord Krishna. There is a radiant aura around his head, signifying that he was an "enlightened soul". In the background are stylised images of stars and a cloud formation symbolising that in his ecstatic/enlightened state and he is "One with the Universe".

On the lower periphery is inscribed "Smarak Sikke" (in Hindi) and "COMMEMORATIVE COINS" (in English). At bottom right it is mentioned that these coins are a "PROOF SET".

       The above is an image of Pages 1 and 2 of the Coin Album

Page 1 (seen at left) gives a brief description of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's life (1486-1533) in Hindi.

Page 2 of the Coin Album (seen at right) exhibits the Obverse sides of the 2 Coins contained in this Proof Set of the denominations of Rs.500/- (Quaternary Silver Alloy) and Rs.10/- (Bimetallic) and also gives a brief description of the specifications of both the coins in Hindi/Devanagari.

             Page 1 of the Coin Album on a stand-alone basis

Page 4 of the Coin Album gives a brief description of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in English, which reads as under:

"SHRI KRISHNA CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU(1486-1533 CE):

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was one of the great saints of Krishna Bhakti cult and played the most outstanding role in the progress of (the) Bhakti Movement. 

He was born and schooled at Navadwip, Nadia, West Bengal, which was the Centre of Vedantic rationalism. Afterwards he entrusted to a well-known Pandit, Ganga Das for higher studies. (something is wrong with the sentence construction here, but I have taken it as it appears in the description). He was an exceptionally brilliant student and is said to have mastered the Sanskrit language, literature, grammar and logic at the early age of fifteen.

Chaitanya's tenor of life was changed when he visited Gaya at the age of 22 and received "diksha" ("initiation") from a saintly man Ishwar Puri.

He was a great exponent of Krishnite form of Vaishnavism. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated the worship of Shri Krishna and popularised the chanting of "Hare Krishna Mantra" to all without any discrimination. Chaitanya is said to have travelled all over India including Vrindavan when he revived the Krishna Cult. 

In the year 1515, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Vrindavan, with the objectives of locating the lost holy places associated with Lord Krishna's transcendent pastimes. It is believed that through his intuitive powers, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was able to locate all the places associated with Lord Krishna and restore the pristine purity of the religious practices of yore.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu settled permanently at Puri where he died in 1533."

            

           Page 2 of the Coin Album on a stand-alone basis

          The Obverse of the Rs.500/- Coin on a stand-alone basis

The Obverse of the Rs.500/- Quaternary Silver Alloy Coin depicts the Emblem of the Government of India in the top centre, which is the Lion Capitol of the Legendary Emperor Ashok of Ancient India. Below Emblem is the slogan "Satyamev Jayate" (meaning "Truth Always Prevails").

Below the Emblem is the denomination of the Coin in numerals with the Rupee symbol "R500".

On the centre left is the name of the issuing country "BHARAT" (in Hindi) and on the centre right in the country name "INDIA" in English.

The Obverse of the Rs.10 Bimetallic Coin exhibits all the design elements of the above coin, except for the denomination, which is "R10".

The above is an image of Pages 3 and 4 of the Coin Album

Page 3 of the Coin Album (seen at left) exhibits the Reverse faces of the 2 Coins contained in this Proof set, Rs.500/- (Quaternary Silver Alloy) and Rs.10 (Bimetallic) showing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and also gives a brief description of the specifications of the two coins in English.

Page 4 has been described elsewhere above and gives a brief description of the life and beliefs of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Page 3 of the Coin Album showing the Reverses of the 2 Coins (Rs.500/- and Rs.10/-) along with the specifications of the two coins 

The Reverse of the Rs.500 Quaternary Alloy Coin on a stand-alone basis

The Reverse image shows Chaitanya Mahaprabhu dancing in an ecstatic pose. The peripheral inscriptions are - "Shri Krishna Ke Vrindavan Aagaman Ki 500vin Jayanti" (in Hindi - on the upper periphery) and " 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHRI KRISHNA CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU'S COMING TO VRINDAVAN"(in English - on the lower periphery).

In the centre is the year "2015" mentioned both in Hindi (at left) an in International numerals (at right).

The specifications of this coin are:

Denomination: Rs.500/-; Metal Composition: Quaternary Alloy - Silver 50%, Copper 40%, Nickel 5%, Zinc 5%; Shape: Circular; Outside Diameter: 44.0 mm; Standard Weight: 35.0 grams; No. of Serrations: 200; Mint: Kolkata Mint; Mint Mark: None (Kolkata Mint coins do not exhibit any mint mark since the times of the East India Company). Year: 2015

The Reverse of the Rs.10/- Bimetallic Coin on a stand-alone basis

The Reverse of this coin exhibits all the design elements of the Rs.500 Quaternary Alloy Coin shown before, except for the denomination "R10".

The specifications of this coin are:

Denomination: Rs.10/-; Metal Composition: Outer Ring: (Aluminium Bronze) - Copper 92%, Aluminium 6%; Nickel 2%; Centre Piece (cupro-Nickel) - Copper 75%, Nickel 25%; Shape: Circular; Outside Diameter: 27.0 mm; Standard Weight: 7.71 grams; Mint: Kolkata Mint; Year: 2015.

The Back of the Coin Album gives a brief description about the Kolkata Mint, inter alia:

"India Government Mint, Kolkata has a historical  minting legacy. The first Calcutta Mint was established in 1759-60. The second Calcutta Mint was established at the  site of Gillet's Ship-Building in the year 1790 or 1792. The foundation stone of the third mint was laid on 31.03.1824 on Strand Road and the building completed on 01.08.1929.

In 1952, Alipore Mint, Kolkata was started which was later renamed as India Government Mint, Kolkata. The productrange of India Government Mint, Kolkata includes Circulating coins, Commemorative coins, Medals, Tokens, Seals and Badges...….."

In 2012, the Alipore, Kolkata Mint celebrated its 60 years of establishment milestone (Diamond Jubilee) with the issue of a Rs.60/- Quaternary Alloy Coin and a Rs.5/- Bimetallic Coin. I have this coin in my collection.

My interesting post tracing the history of the Kolkata Mint and the Commemorative 60th Anniversary Coins can be visited at the following link:

Celebrating 60 Years (Diamond Jubilee) of India Government, Kolkata