UK's Royal Mint releases gold bar with Goddess Lakshmi on it

New Delhi : The UK Royal Mint's has released a bullion bar range featuring Goddess Lakshmi to celebrate the upcoming Indian festival of lights – Diwali.

The "Lakshmi" bar, a 20 gram gold bar with the Hindu Goddess of Wealth engraved intricately into the precious metal, has been designed by Royal Mint designer Emma Noble and follows a close collaboration with the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff on its intricate design. It is up for sale from today.

The bar is being sold at a price of 1,080 pounds. Royal Mint called the idea as a reflection of its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion and an expansion of diverse cultural celebrations in the country.

"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," said Andrew Dickey, Divisional Director for Precious Metals at the Royal Mint.

"The bar is a shining example of this and we were delighted to work with Nilesh Kabaria of the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Cardiff to ensure that we represent the Hindu Goddess of Wealth accurately and appropriately," he said.

The bar, which can be bought from the official Royal Mint website and features an Om symbol on its gift packaging, follows the success of the Mint's 1 gram and 5 gram gold bars in henna-inspired packaging launched last year which proved incredibly popular in the lead up to Diwali.

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