The Colas c31.24

c31.24

expressed in different ways. The fineness of the *māḍai* and that of *śembon* (red-gold) have already been mentioned. Of these, the term ‘red gold’ was applied to gold purified and tested according to certain prescribed methods;⁶⁷ apparently it was the same as *tuḷai-pon* or *tuḷai-niṟai-pon*. Sometimes, the fineness is explained in terms of touch—as *niṉe māttu* by the *kāśu-niṟai-kal*.⁶⁸ 'Of the fineness of *paḻaṅgāśu*' and 'of the fineness prescribed by the (royal) treasury' (*tālaċċemmai*)⁶⁹ are other expressions that are employed in the early inscriptions of the period. There was thus no uniformity either in the actual units of gold currency in circulation or in the standard of weight and fineness adopted in different areas for the regulation of local transactions. The need for 'gold committees' which were set up by different village-assemblies for testing gold is thus clear.