Indian History: 1600-1947

It was almost a year after I started collecting coins that I asked myself a basic question: Since there were hundreds of different currencies circulating in India in the 1800s, how would a person from Travancore buy materials in the Madras Presidency? How did all these currencies work together as a single system? This article is based on prompting Gemini, supplemented by some personal reading. Please treat these as facts at your own risk! To understand how things evolved, it is best to look at the history chronologically. 1640: Adopting the Vijayanagara Pagoda System In 1640, the East India Company (EIC) obtained minting rights in Fort St. George (Madras) from the local Nayak of Chandragiri, a vestigial offshoot of the Vijayanagara Empire. The prevailing currency in South India was the gold Pagoda system, which the EIC simply adopted. They began issuing gold Pagodas containing 3.4 grams of gold, equivalent to 36 silver Fanams (European pronunciation of panam).  One Fanam containe...

 While working through the lot of coins, I found a coin that had a deer facing backwards. After a bunch of online research and the help of Gemini, I discovered that the deer looking back was a common motif with the "Thirai cash" issued by Venad/Chera dynasty. These were issued in 1600 and it is the Venad lineage that grew to become Travancore.  You can see the deer turning back mentioned in this research paper . You can also see examples of this coin here  (Image 1). In the standard examples, one side has a deer turning back. The other side has a battle axe.                                                                        Here is the shocking part! My coin is a double obverse . Both sides of my coin have the deer. This is generally very rare and considere...

 I bought a lot of 50 coins on ebay that was advertised as coins from Madurai, Tanjore Nayaks. Its been a fascinating journey identifying the exact coins. I am only 5 coins into the lot and I have already found an amazing coin.  Haider Ali occupied the Mysore throne in a coup overthrowing the Wodeyar king. He is more famous as the father of Tipu Sultan and most Tamil folks would know off him through the popular phrase "Haider Ali Kalam". He issued a series of coins that had 222 in Arabic. I was curious why he used 222. What was the connection. It is a cryptographic representation of Haider  using one Abjad system.  Basically,  Ha = 8 Ya = 10 Dal = 4 Ra = 200 Total is 222. I dont understand how the mapping but I found this fascinating!    

In Part 1, we saw how the Rashtrakutas decided to teach the upstart Parantaka Chola a lesson. They defeated the Cholas in battle and plundered Tamil Nadu. The Cholas retreated to the Kaveri Delta and remained quiet for the next 25 years. The Rashtrakutas had been the most dangerous gang in India for the preceding 200 years. However, right around this time, a warlord from their northern frontier defeated the Rashtrakuta King and ransacked their capital. This severely weakened the dynasty and created a power vacuum south of the Vindhyas. The Cholas had nothing to do with the fall of the Rashtrakutas; they simply took advantage of it. The period following the fall of the Rashtrakutas—covering the reigns of Uttama, Rajaraja, and Rajendra Chola—marks the peak of Chola Inc. This era was characterized by the accumulation of immense wealth through two primary revenue streams: Plunder: Without the Rashtrakutas, there was nobody to stop them. They plundered in all directions. They moved north ...

[Draft was edited by Gemini for clarity] Everything I know about the Cholas comes from Anirudh Kanisetti's excellent book,  Lords of the Deccan  (and his work on the Chola Empire). This article is my understanding of that book. Who were the "Modern" Cholas?  To understand who they were, we must first understand who they were not : No Sangam Connection: They had no direct link to the ancient Sangam-era Cholas. They essentially co-opted the "Chola" brand name for legitimacy. A Lost Identity: They have not been a permanent fixture of Tamil consciousness for the last 1,000 years. Even as recently as 1940, the Cholas were rarely discussed; the common view was that the Thanjavur temple had been built by the Pallavas. They only rose in popularity with the rise of the Dravidian movement and the modern revival of Tamil identity. So, why are they special now? Bullying the Deccan: They are the only known dynasty from Tamil Nadu that successfully bullied and harassed the...

Rajputana Agency (Missing coins) Bharatpur – Eastern Rajputana States Agency Dholpur – Eastern Rajputana States Agency Dungarpur – Mewar Residency (subordinate to Mewar) Jaisalmer – Western Rajputana States Residency Jhalawar – Kotah-Jhalawar Agency Karauli – Eastern Rajputana States Agency (Coinwalla) Kota (Kotah) – Kotah-Jhalawar Agency Partabgarh (Rajputana) – Different from Pratapgarh in Central India Shahpura – Haraoti-Tonk Agency Sirohi – Western Rajputana States Residency Central India Agency (Missing States) Datia – Central India Agency Dewas Senior Branch – Central India Agency Orchha – Bundelkhand Agency (part of Central India) Panna – Bundelkhand Agency Nagod – Bundelkhand Agency Punjab States Agency (Missing States) Patiala – Punjab States Agency Kapurthala – Punjab States Agency Nabha – Punjab States Agency Jind – Punjab States Agency Faridkot – Punjab States Agency Mandi – Punjab Hills States Agency Western India States Agency (Missing States...