The French period in Pondicherry began in 1673 with the establishment of the French Trading Centre. From then on Pondicherry became the chief Indian settlement for the French, who stayed here for 138 years. It was captured by the Dutch and British for short periods of time, but the French always took it back. As… Read more »
This coin is symbolic of both the power and the precariousness of a queen’s role in an empire of men. Nur Jahan was the twentieth wife of Jahangir and especially favoured by the emperor. This placed her a unique position for a woman of her time and she used it to influence Mughal politics and… Read more »
Nazrana were limited-edition novelties minted not as currency, but as gifts to a superior or souvenirs to mark special occasions. A Nazarana was crafted simply to be presented with all the pomp and circumstance at the giver’s disposal. This is a silver one minted in the name of Queen Victoria by Madan Singh; coins like… Read more »
In the years following Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, the lustre of the Mughal empire began to dull. Territories shrunk as three emperors came and went, dispatched speedily by enemies and influential noblemen. But even in these uncertain times, one managed stay on and reign for 29 years. Roshan Akhtar Muhammad Shah, popularly known as Rangeela,… Read more »
A silver coin bent like a hairpin or a fish-hook and then stamped on either side, this unit of currency was named after the thriving 16th-Century trade centre of Lar in Iran. It was first minted by the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp and subsequently, the rise of strong trade relationships between Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India… Read more »
Gingee was a formidable fort in southern Arcot in the erstwhile Carnatic region. It was captured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1677 and remained in the hands of the Marathas until 1698. In this year, Shivaji’s son Rajaram Bhosle I ensconced himself in the fort in response to Aurangzeb’s advancing armies in the kingdom. Mughal… Read more »
Elichpur has an interesting place in history. The city today known as Achalpur in Maharasthra was for long a bone of contention between a revolving group of players including the Delhi Sultans, the Mughals, the Marathas and other kingdoms. Elichpur makes an appearance in medieval texts for the first time in 1269 CE, when Alauddin… Read more »
This coin was minted during the early days of the reign of an exceptional leader who steered the Delhi Sultanate from 1236 to 1240. Razia Sultan (she was not a fan of ‘Sultana’) was the daughter of Iltutmish of the Mamluk dynasty, and the first woman monarch of this land—and among very few of her… Read more »
This quarter silver rupee weighs 2.74 grams—a silver rupee during Akbar’s reign would weigh between 10 to 11 grams. In addition, this is an Ilahi type coin, which means it’s dated in the Ilahi era as opposed to the more Hijri era favoured by Islamic rulers. Din-i-ilahi was the faith founded by Akbar in AH… Read more »
Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan—and he didn’t want you to forget it. One of the ways in which he pledged his allegiance was by introducing the Shahrukhi denomination of coin to the Subcontinent. Shahrukhis were flat, round silver coins first issued by the Timurid ruler… Read more »
This silver coin seems to have been struck on an existing Nazarana coin. The word Nazarana is derived from the Persian ‘nazr’ and means a presentation or tribute. On special occasions, Nazaranas or Nazars were presented to the king. People would order and buy these coins from the mint when they wanted to make a… Read more »
The emperor of Hindustan from 1658 to 1707, Aurangzeb was driven by a coruscating ambition. The Mughal empire burgeoned to its maximum size under his reign. However, he was a conservative when it came to coin design. Read more about how the personality of an emperor got imprinted on the coins issued by him in… Read more »
Nisar coins are named for their main purpose, ie scattering into the crowd by royalty. They were deployed for occasions that demanded ceremonial generosity, like at investitures, weddings or grand entrances. These coins were particularly lightweight. In addition to the regular gold, silver and copper coins, Shah Jahan released unique silver Nisar coins to present… Read more »
This silver drachm carries the kingly profile of Apollodotus II, who reigned east and west Punjab aka Taxila in the waning days of the Indo-Greek kingdom between 80 and 65 BC. Indo-Greek coins were of three types: stater (gold), drachm (silver) and copper (chalcon). The front of the coin carried the bust of the ruler… Read more »
Raja Raja Chola I was a renowned king who ruled over the Chola kingdom in southern India from 985 to 1014 CE. Regarded by many as one of the greatest kings in Indian history, he was a celebrated conqueror and an efficient administrator. It was during his reign that the Cholas were able to subdue… Read more »
The last Sultan of Delhi was an unlucky man. When his father Sikander Lodi died, the nobles of the court saw an opportunity to curtail the power of the dynasty. So they created a dual monarchy and around the time that Ibrahim Shah Lodi ascended the throne in Delhi in 1517, his brother Jalal Khan… Read more »
The Wodeyar/Wadiyar dynasty owns the distinction for being the only Indian royal family to have ruled for five centuries! Chosen to serve as vassals of the Vijayanagara empire in 1399, the Wodeyars grew over time to reign over their own kingdom, which they did right up till the formation of the Union of India in… Read more »
This coin was minted in Patna with an ‘Alam Panah’ couplet. It reads ‘Shahe Nooruddin Jahangir, Ibn Akbar Badshah, Sikka e zad dar shahera patna, Khushru e Alampanah’. Jahangir took a keen interest in coinage, minting some of the best specimens from the Mughal period. His reign saw a vast variety of coinage. He popularised… Read more »