Eighty six gold coins from the Vijayanagara era were discovered in an iron pot by workers leveling farmland in Sundarampalli village near Jolarpet town, Tirupattur district. The farmland belongs to 55-year-old farmer R. Athavan. While clearing small boulders on December 22, the workers stumbled upon the pot filled with gold coins of various sizes and shapes. They informed Athavan, who initially denied the find but later handed over the pot and coins to officials. "Athavan did not voluntarily give the treasure to the District Treasury Office," said K. Navanitham, Tasildar of Tirupattur, confirming that villagers alerted authorities. A team including the Tahsildar, Village Administrative Officer S. Murugan, and Kandali police visited the farmer's home to retrieve the treasure. Archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department will evaluate the heritage value of the coins before they are submitted to the district treasury. "As per the Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878, any treasure found one foot below the surface belongs to the government," explained Navanitham. Experts said coins from the Vijayanagara period were cast in gold, silver, and copper, mainly for trade and payment. The gold coins found measure about five millimetres and bear the emblem of a pig, a symbol used by Vijayanagara rulers. Unlike the square coins of the Sangam age, these are circular. This discovery follows a similar find in November, when 103 Vijayanagara gold coins were unearthed from a Chola-era Shiva temple in Jawadhu Hills, Tiruvannamalai district.