The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries set off the slow decline of the Mughal Empire across the Indian sub-continent with the rise of independent powers in various regions at the cost of Mughals. These powers triggered the decline of Mughal power by usurping various aspects of executive and fiscal powers of the Mughal state handing it to local supporters of each power.
The pace of this process varied from region to region but was steady enough by the middle of the eighteenth century. The period of this process spanned from 1712 on the death of Shah Alam II till 1835 when the British formally declared themselves as the formal rulers of the country.
One aspect of Mughal power which changed more slowly than other insignia and symbols of power was its coinage issued in three metals of gold, silver and copper since the time of Akbar (c. 1556-1605 CE) in a standardized way from imperial mints across the country. Eighteenth century powers chose to continue Mughal coins from regional mints almost in the same fashion with the name of the Mughal emperor on the obverse and the mint's name on the reverse with the date in Hijri era and his regnal year.
The coinage of the new powers however differed from the imperial Mughal coinage in two aspects. Mughal coinage at its height was centralized and the engraving of its dies in particular was the work of Master Engravers selected by the Emperor himself. The Ain'-i-Akbari names one such Master Engraver named Maulana Ali Ahmad who is described as "having no equal in any country, cuts different kind of letters in steel, in such a manner as to equal the copyslips of the most skilful calligraphers. He holds the rank of a Yuzbashi (commander of 100 and paid 500-600 rupees per month)". Thus, the Great Mughals exercised great care in the engraving as in other departments of minting from the imperial centre even for their regional mints. In many case, engraved dies were said to be despatched from the centre to ensure the quality of the die-struck coins of the imperial mints.
However, as the imperial centre weakened under the Later Mughals, the quality of die engraving suffered as is evident in the coins struck by the Marathas, Rajputs and even colonial powers like the English and the French. These changed calligraphy with even corrupted Persian legends speak volumes of the fall in the calligraphic quality of later coins aptly termed as quasi-Mughal coins in modern numismatic nomenclature.
Another quality of these quasi-Mughal issues was the inclusion of Mint marks and regional symbols adopted as per the local power's own heritage and cultural legacy. In the case of the Marathas, various symbols from the Hindu pantheon were adopted and included in the reverse die's design. Thus, we find Trishul, Ankush, Pharsi and Nagphani (snake hood) among various emblems seen on Maratha Rupees issued in the Peshwai period from 1740s till 1818 when the Peshwas were defeated in the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
The Poona mint which functioned directly under the Peshwas from 1764 and issued the Hali Sikka Rupee with a prominent Nagphani symbol on the reverse. These Hali Sikka rupees continued to be issued in the late Peshwai period as well as by the British after 1818. An important change was the addition of Devanagari numerals on the reverse indicating the date in the Fasli era used only in the Deccan.
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The pace of this process varied from region to region but was steady enough by the middle of the eighteenth century. The period of this process spanned from 1712 on the death of Shah Alam II till 1835 when the British formally declared themselves as the formal rulers of the country.
One aspect of Mughal power which changed more slowly than other insignia and symbols of power was its coinage issued in three metals of gold, silver and copper since the time of Akbar (c. 1556-1605 CE) in a standardized way from imperial mints across the country. Eighteenth century powers chose to continue Mughal coins from regional mints almost in the same fashion with the name of the Mughal emperor on the obverse and the mint's name on the reverse with the date in Hijri era and his regnal year.
The coinage of the new powers however differed from the imperial Mughal coinage in two aspects. Mughal coinage at its height was centralized and the engraving of its dies in particular was the work of Master Engravers selected by the Emperor himself. The Ain'-i-Akbari names one such Master Engraver named Maulana Ali Ahmad who is described as "having no equal in any country, cuts different kind of letters in steel, in such a manner as to equal the copyslips of the most skilful calligraphers. He holds the rank of a Yuzbashi (commander of 100 and paid 500-600 rupees per month)". Thus, the Great Mughals exercised great care in the engraving as in other departments of minting from the imperial centre even for their regional mints. In many case, engraved dies were said to be despatched from the centre to ensure the quality of the die-struck coins of the imperial mints.
However, as the imperial centre weakened under the Later Mughals, the quality of die engraving suffered as is evident in the coins struck by the Marathas, Rajputs and even colonial powers like the English and the French. These changed calligraphy with even corrupted Persian legends speak volumes of the fall in the calligraphic quality of later coins aptly termed as quasi-Mughal coins in modern numismatic nomenclature.
Another quality of these quasi-Mughal issues was the inclusion of Mint marks and regional symbols adopted as per the local power's own heritage and cultural legacy. In the case of the Marathas, various symbols from the Hindu pantheon were adopted and included in the reverse die's design. Thus, we find Trishul, Ankush, Pharsi and Nagphani (snake hood) among various emblems seen on Maratha Rupees issued in the Peshwai period from 1740s till 1818 when the Peshwas were defeated in the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
The Poona mint which functioned directly under the Peshwas from 1764 and issued the Hali Sikka Rupee with a prominent Nagphani symbol on the reverse. These Hali Sikka rupees continued to be issued in the late Peshwai period as well as by the British after 1818. An important change was the addition of Devanagari numerals on the reverse indicating the date in the Fasli era used only in the Deccan.
The featured coin is one of a Hali Sikka Rupee issued in Fasli Era year 1236 (1826 CE) with the Nagphani emblem on the reverse with an obverse and reverse set of Persian legends which show poor calligraphy as compared to a proper Mughal Rupee even in the period of Ahmad Shah (c. 1748-1754 CE) or Alamgir II (1754-1759 CE). The Quasi-Mughal Rupees increased in number and variety during the ignominious ruler of the titulary Emperor, Shah Alam II (r. 1759-1806 CE) also known by his pre-accession name, Shah Ali Gauhar on some Quasi-Mughal Rupees as this series
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| Emperor Shah Alam II c. 1790s Image Courtesy: Wikipedia.com |
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