UK Royal Mint launches 'Lord Ganesh' gold bar for Chaturthi festival

The UK’s Royal Mint has issued a new 24-karat gold bar engraved with an image of Lord Ganesh for sale in the lead-up to Ganesh Chaturthi on August 31, marking an expansion of its Indian-inspired gold minted bullion bar range.

The 20-gram “999.9 fine gold” Ganesh bullion bar is on sale online from this week and is priced at GBP 1,110.80, the same as Royal Mint’s 24-karat Goddess Lakshmi gold bar launched for Diwali last year.

Both bars are intricately designed by the same designer, Emma Noble, and depict Lord Ganesh in his quintessential pose with a tray of laddoos (sweets) at his feet.

Referred to as The Lord of Beginnings, Ganesh is one of the best-known gods of the Hindu faith, the Royal Mint said.

As the god of luck, new beginnings and wisdom, Ganesh is often seen at the entrances of temples and sacred buildings, acting as a guard and protector. This year, for the first time, the son of Shiva and Parvati will also be appearing on a 20g gold minted bullion bar from the Royal Mint, it said.

The bar is available ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, dubbed an exciting time to celebrate the birth of Lord Ganesh who is an enduring symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune, and also as a gift option throughout the year, including for Diwali alongside the Lakshmi bar.

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Each bar, available from the Royal Mint’s website, is imprinted with a unique serial number and comes packed in a specially designed henna-patterned sleeve with the symbol ‘Om’.

Like the Goddess Lakshmi bar, the Ganesh bullion bar is also designed in collaboration with Nilesh Kabaria from the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff, Wales.

“It’s wonderful to see an international brand such as the Royal Mint taking such a considered and active approach to celebrating the Hindu culture within their product range”, said Nilesh Kabaria, from the temple.

Since launching its designated precious metals investment arm six years ago, the Royal Mint has become known as the home of gold in the UK as the largest producer of bullion coins in Britain. As well as offering physical precious metal investment options in the form of bars and coins, the Royal Mint also offers a range of digital investment options.

(With inputs from agencies)