On the occasion of Dhanteras, the Hindu community worldwide purchases gold bars, ornaments and coins. Gold is often associated with wealth and prosperity. Ahead of Diwali, the Royal Mint in the United Kingdom has prepared a gold bullion bar with the picture of Goddess Lakshmi engraved on it, reported The Times of India.
Designed by Emma Noble, it is the first-ever gold bar by the Royal Mint that bears the image of a Hindu deity. For the project, Noble collaborated with Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff in England and it helped to maintain cultural accuracy. The gold bullion bar contains 20g of 999.9 fine gold and cost about ₹1,00,000 (£1,080). Goddess Laxmi is shown standing on a lotus while the packaging contains the sacred ‘Om’ symbol.
It will be sold on the official website of Royal Mint at 9 am local time (1:30 pm IST) on Tuesday in the United Kingdom. It will be blessed by the Shree Swaminarayan Temple during Lakshmi Puja on November 4 this year. The event will be attended by the officials of the Royal Mint. Times of India reported that Royal Mint UK had launched a henna-inspired package of 1g and 5g regular gold bars in 2020.
While speaking about the matter, Andrew Dickey remarked, “With gold being a traditional and auspicious gift during the Diwali festival, we wanted to develop a product that incorporates both beauty and tradition, but with a modern twist.” Dickey is the Divisional Director for precious metals for the company.
The Royal Mint is government-owned mint that produces coins for the United Kingdom. It operates under legal name of The Royal Mint Limited and is wholly owned by Her Majesty’s Treasury. It has exclusive contract to supply all of nation’s coinage.
