1847 SILVER/BL FUANG________Cambodia_______HAMSA BIRD / HINDU GODDESS SARASWATI

Description

22W19
FRASCATIUS ANCIENTS
A BEAUTIFUL SILVER / BILLON FUANG (1/8 TICAL) OF CAMBODIA FROM 1847 AD .
The Hamsa bird is the symbol for the Hindu goddess Saraswati. She is the Goddess of Learning and the Arts; Truth, Forgiveness, Knowledge, Poetry and Music, as well as Fertility, Prosperity, Purity and Creativity. Her depiction on a Cambodian coin reflects the absorption of this ancient Hindu goddess into Cambodian culture during the period of the Khmer or Angkor Empire.
According to Cambodian folklore, to have one of these coins is to hold the whole universe in the palm of your hand!
THE SIZE IS 14.6 MM AND 1.64 GRAMS.
KM #32 (Krause 2010 SCWC 1901-2000 3rd Edition)
OBVERSE – Hamsa Bird
REVERSE – Blank
HAMSA BIRD
Within Cambodian Hindu culture, the Hamsa bird has been sacred for millennia, going all the way back to books written around 900 B.C. Said to be able to navigate the three elements — air, land and water — this mythical swan represents the Supreme Spirit from which all things are made. This elegant creature is so revered that it serves as the sacred mount for Saraswati, transporting the multi-armed Hindu goddess of knowledge and the arts along the waterways of her domain. Due to its ability to distinguish the difference between good and evil, the Hamsa became a prominent figure on coins where for hundreds of years it was regarded as a symbol of good luck, purity and enlightenment. According to Cambodian folklore, to have one of these coins is to hold the whole universe in the palm of your hand!
The name of the bird is actually a play on words. When used as a mantra and repeated over and over, the syllables “ham” and “sa” can be interpreted as “saham,” Sanskrit for “I am the universe.” And Cambodian folklore maintains that when in flight, the Hamsa represents the soul escaping from samsara, the cycle of birth, life and death.
CAMBODIA IN THE 1800'S
In the early 19th century King Chan (1806-1834) turned to the Vietnamese for protection from the Thais. The Thais were annoyed by this policy and when a rebellion occurred in south Vietnam in 1833 they took advantage by invading Cambodia. However, the Vietnamese king crushed the rebellion and the Thai army retreated.
As a result, the Vietnamese emperor strengthened his control over Cambodia. When Cambodian King Chan died in 1834 one of his daughters was installed as Queen and Vietnamese people settled in Cambodia. The Vietnamese regarded the Cambodians as ‘barbarians’ and tried to ‘civilize’ them by teaching them Vietnamese customs.
Resentment at Vietnamese influence led to a rebellion in 1840-1841. The Thais invaded again to re-assert their control of Cambodia. However, in the 1850s French missionaries arrived in Cambodia. The Cambodian king turned to the French to protect him from both the Thais and the Vietnamese. So in 1863 Cambodia became a French protectorate.
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