The Silver and Copper Coinage of Pre‑Moghul India
By Gottlieb L. Schanzlin
Summary
‘The Silver and Copper Coinage of Pre‑Moghul India’ surveys the monetary systems that evolved in India before the establishment of Mughal rule. The author reviews the currencies issued by major dynasties, including the Delhi Sultanate, regional sultanates and early Afghan rulers, tracing changes in weight standards and designs. Beginning with the early silver tanka of the Delhi sultans, the article notes how Iltutmish introduced a 175‑grains coin that became a standard for later issues. The author discusses the debasement of coinage under Muhammad bin Tughlaq and the experiments with token currency, highlighting their economic consequences. Attention is given to the silver rupiya of Sher Shah Suri, weighing 178 grains, which laid the foundation for the Mughal rupee. The article also analyses copper coinage, explaining that small copper pāi and dam were essential for daily transactions and often bore religious symbols or calligraphy. Regional variations are surveyed, such as the coins of the Bahmani, Gujarat and Bengal sultanates, which sometimes showed local motifs like conch shells or stylised lions. The author uses numismatic catalogues and hoard discoveries to illustrate how political fragmentation led to a profusion of types but also to eventual standardisation under strong rulers. The article argues that pre‑Mughal coinage reflects the dynamic interplay between economic demands, silver supplies and political ideology.
Conclusion
The article concludes that monetary reforms by rulers like Iltutmish and Sher Shah created enduring standards that facilitated trade and taxation. Pre‑Mughal coinage, though diverse, laid the economic groundwork upon which the Mughals later built a unified currency system.