aspects of panna coinage

20
1 Indian Coins Encyclopedia Series Some aspects of the History and Coinage of the Panna Area Barry Tabor Barry Tabor Barry Tabor Barry Tabor [email protected] This Ebook Is Distributed Totally Free By Shastri Numismatic Academy (www.IndianCoins.Org ) To Educate People Worldwide About Indian Coins. You Are Encouraged To Redistribute It In Electronic Format.

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Page 1: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

1

Indian Coins Encyclopedia Series

Some aspects of the History and

Coinage of the Panna Area

Barry TaborBarry TaborBarry TaborBarry Tabor [email protected]

This Ebook Is Distributed Totally Free By Shastri Numismatic Academy (www.IndianCoins.Org) To

Educate People Worldwide About Indian Coins. You Are Encouraged To Redistribute It In Electronic

Format.

Page 2: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

2

Some aspects of the History and Coinage of the Panna area

My previous work on

these coins appeared in the

ONS newsletters numbers

183 in 2005 and 193 in

2007. This is an updated

article, combining old and

new information with new

illustrations, updated tables

and revised conclusions.

This has become necessary

following the examination

of more coins and the study

of additional data, which

have only become available

since those articles were

published.

Introduction

In his foreword to Prashant

Kulkarni’s excellent

“Coinage of the Bhonsla

Rajas of Nagpur” (Indian

Coin Society, Nagpur 1990)

Stan Goron wrote, “The

numismatic history of the

declining years of the

Mughal Empire, of the

various states that carved

territory out of that dying

empire, and of the post-

Mughal period generally,

has, with a few notable

exceptions, been badly

neglected. The field is very

wide, potentially fertile,

and waiting to be

ploughed.” Since then,

there has been an

increasing interest in the

history and coinage of the

Mughal successor states,

and a large number of

studies have been

published. Much of the

interest has been focused

on the relationships of

those states with the

emerging ‘Paramount Power.’

It is well-known that the coinages of the several small states in

18th

and 19th

century central India, although familiar to us, have

not been fully researched. I refer to states such as Bhopal,

Dhar, Dewas, Rampur, Lunawada, Banswara, Sunth, Ratlam,

Datia and Jhabua, among others. Of these states, large number

of coins remain to be identified and properly researched.

I do not intend, in any way, to denigrate the sterling efforts of

numismatists of the calibre of Dr. Bhatt, Ken Wiggins, S

Bhandere and others, merely to restate how much more

remains to be done, despite their work. Dr. Bhatt, in particular,

must have spent many thousands of hours poring over piles of

dirty, worn, ugly chunks of copper to have produced the fine,

pioneering work that he did. Despite all this effort, there are

still many common coins, particularly coppers, which remain

unpublished and somewhat enigmatical. Some are a complete

mystery. Many are certainly ‘unofficial’ issues.

A Brief History of Panna and its successor states

Panna was a state in Bundelkhand, part of modern Madhya

Pradesh, (Fig. 4) in north central India. The rulers were Bundela

Rajputs of the House of Orchha.

Champat Rai, sworn enemy of the Mughals, declared his

independence from Dehli during the period of chaos in the

Bundelkhand area that followed Jhujhar Singh of Orchha’s ill-

starred rebellion in 1635 AD. During the 1650’s, Chhatarsal,

Champat Rai’s son, continued to gain in power, taking and

holding territory east of the Dharsan River. He extended his

territory into eastern Malwa, and by 1671 AD he was master of

most of Bundelkhand. His state included Banda in the north,

Rewah in the east and Jabalpur in the south, and extended as

far as the river Betwa in the west. He never held Datia or

Orchha.

His first capital was Kalinjar but Panna became the chief town in

1675 AD. Chhatarpur (founded by Chhatarsal in 1707 AD) and

Jaitpur were the only other towns of any importance in the

territory. In 1729 AD., the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah

sent an imperial army against him, which forced him out of

Jaitpur, but he regained his lost territory the following year,

with the assistance of the Maratha Peshwa Bhaji Rao I. In 1731

AD., the Peshwa took, as payment for his assistance, the town

of Saugor and its dependent territory. Some of Chhatarsal’s

vassals also received small pieces of the territory, and the

Page 3: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

3

remainder was split

between two of his sons.

Panna went to Hirde Singh

and Jaitpur to Jagat Rai.

When Chhatarsal died in

1732 AD he left numerous

progeny (over 50 sons are

known) holding bits of

territory in the area,

including Panna, Charkhari,

Ajaigarh, Bijawar, Sarila,

Jaso, Jigin and Lugasi. (i)

The state of Panna,

therefore, came into

separate independent

existence in 1732 AD, under

Hirde Singh, who made

Panna town his capital. He

was succeeded by Sabha

Singh (1739-1752 AD) and

Aman Singh (1752-1758

AD). Aman Singh was

murdered by his brother

Hindupat (1758-1777 AD),

who ruled Panna for nearly

20 years, before he passed

it on to his son Anirudh

(1777-1779 AD). Anirudh

was a minor, and had

regents to administer the

state on his behalf, but the

regents fought among

themselves and, in the

resulting civil war (also

referred to as the

‘interregnum’) much of the

territory was lost. Beni

Hazuri took Maihar,

Khemraj took Paldeo and

Sone Sah Ponwar took

Chhatarpur, leaving only

the rump of the original

Panna state for Dhokal

Singh, brother of Anirudh,

to govern independently.

The coins of Panna, Charkhari and Bijawar, an introduction

From the above brief history, it is clear that Panna was a very

significant state, much greater in area, wealth and power than

Chhatarpur, Charkhari or Bijawar states, which had been mere

parts of the whole. Chhatarpur and Bijawar, and even Charkhari

are said, or have been shown to have struck their own coinage,

so where is the coinage of Panna? Krause shows only a single

copper coin, bearing an effigy of the Hindu god Lord Hanuman,

attributed to Panna. That coin, following work by the late and

greatly missed Ken Wiggins, and extensive labours by Dr. S K

Bhatt, is now accepted as being a coin of Dhar state.

If we want to know, we must go to the coins themselves to find

an answer. (vii)

There is a well-known, readily available series of rupees (Krause

includes a selection as KM.15, 17, 19, 20 and 21 of Chhatarpur

“Princely” State) that carry the mint-name Chhatarpur (iv).

Received wisdom is that the Chhatarpur mint opened in 1816

AD, long after Chhatarpur State gained its independence (ii),

and so these coins have been attributed to Chhatarpur state

after that date. This necessitates the assumption that all dates

and regnal years on these coins, up to regnal year 27 of Shah

Alam II, are fictitious, because these dates predate the

separation of Chhatarpur as an independent state. This

assumption was valid when only a few random, mostly undated

examples were known and published, but we now know that

these rupees constitute a long, unbroken series bearing regnal

years and Hijra dates from year 3 of Shah Alam II (1762 AD), or

earlier, until year 27 (1784/85 AD).

We also have coins with the same mint name, but dated after

RY 27, some of which are clearly the true coinage of Chhatarpur

State. If we read the years on coins with regnal years up to RY

27 as the actual dates they were struck, and as fixed years

between date changes, we will place these coins in the period

before Chhatarpur state was founded as a separate entity by

Sone Sah Ponwar in 1784/85AD. At that time, as shown above,

Chhatarpur was an important town in Panna State. I believe

this to be the only viable option, and that these familiar coins

are thus demonstrated to be coins of Panna State, and not

Chhatarpur State. I think it is also clear that some coins bearing

the Chhatarpur mint name and regnal years of Shah Alam II

after 27 are coins of Chhatarpur State. There remains the task

of identifying coins of Bijawar, Charkhari, and maybe other

successor states of Panna.

Other coins attributed to Chhatarpur

As well as the aforementioned rupees, the KM catalogues

illustrate and describe coins of two other denominations

Page 4: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

4

reputedly emanating from

the Chhatarpur mint. KM.2

is an undated copper

“paisa” (weight not given).

KM.5 is an undated quarter

rupee with the regnal year

25, weighing ‘2.68-2.9grammes’. Both these coins have the

distinctive Chhatarpur mintmark of a sunflower, see below. The

quarter rupee appears to be crudely engraved and has no mint-

name on it, and could, prima facie, just as easily be a product of

the erstwhile Bijawar mint. No comments are possible, at this

stage, about the copper.

Rulers of Chhatarpur State. (ix)

AD. Date. AH. Date. Ruler.

1784/85 1199/1200 Chhatarpur State founded.

Title – Raja

1785 – 1816 1199 - 1231 Kunwar Sone Shah

1816 – 1854 1231 – 1270/71 Pratap Singh

1854 – 1867 1270/71 – 1283/84 Jaghat Singh

1867 – 1895 1283/84 – 1312/13 Vishvanath Singh}

Title - Maharaja }

1895 – 1932 1312/13 – 1341/42 Vishvanath Singh}

1932 – 1947 1341/42 - 1366 Bhawani Singh

Chhatarpur State coins

I believe that the foregoing is sufficient to

indicate that coins bearing the mint name

‘Chhatarpur’, but struck before 1784/85 AD.,

do not belong to Chhatarpur State, but are, in

fact, coins of Panna state, and that some

coins bearing the mint name Chhatarpur that

were struck after that date, are coins of

Chhatarpur State. Two such rupees, with

regnal years 30 and 35, are shown below, as

the first two coins in Fig.1. These coins are of

substantially the same design as Panna coins

from Chhatarpur mint, but they are probably

scarcer. They are dated “312”, presumably

for AH. 1203, with regnal year 30, and,

erroneously, AH. 1227/35. The first probably

is, and the second may be a coin of

Chhatarpur State It is certainly true that the

Chhatarpur mint re-opened or stayed open as

the mint for the independent and separate

Chhatarpur State. It clearly did not open for

the first time in 1816 AD.

The third coin in Fig.1 also seems to have the

regnal year 35, but no date. The first two,

despite the differences between them, bear a

strong ‘family resemblance’ to each other,

and to the preceding series of rupees, struck

for Panna state. Other copies of the

Chhatarpur mint rupees, such as the third

coin in Fig. 1, exist in some numbers, but little

is known about them at present. Some of

these have what might be a crudely executed

Chhatarpur mint name; others do not, and

most seem to have nothing legible in the

place usually occupied by a mint name. It is

often suggested, not without reason, that

they may well be Maratha coins, particularly

as some appear to bear parts of the mint

name ‘Ravishnagar Sagar’.

Page 5: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

5

Figure 1. Two rupees of Chhatarpur mint, dated after the independence of Chhatarpur State, and

a copy, of unknown attribution.The first two coins have Shah Alam II legends and the second may

have similar legends, but the calligraphy is barbarous. Weights respectively 11.1, 11.0g. and 10.9g.

approx. Dates: “312” (for 1203?)/30 and 1227(sic!)/35 for the coins presumed to be of Chhatarpur

state, and RY35(?) for the later copy of unknown attribution.

Bijawar State

Rulers of Bijawar State. (ix)

Date AD. Date AH. Ruler

1765 1178/79 Bijawar state founded

Title – Rajas

1765 – 1793 1178/79 – 1207/08 Bir Singh Deo

1793 - 1802 1207/08 – 1216/17 Himmat Bahadur

1802 - Dec 1810 1217/17 – 1225 Keshri Singh

1811 – 1833 1225 – 1248/49 Ratan Singh

1833 – 1847 1248/49 1263 Lakshman Singh

23 Nov 1847– 1866 1263 – 1282/83 Bham Pratap Singh

Title – Maharaja ( from 1877 Sawai Maharaja)

1866 - 1899 1282/83 – 1316/17 Bham Pratap Singh

Jun 1899 - 30 Oct 1940 Savant Singh

Oct 1940 - 15 Aug 1947 Govind Singh

Bijawar State coins

The Krause Publications

catalogues illustrate this

series with a photograph of

a single rupee, which has

been given the catalogue

number KM.15.

It is crudely struck on a

dumpy flan from which the

date and mint name are

missing, if they had ever been on the die in the first place. The

regnal year of this piece, which is almost off the flan in the

example shown, has apparently been read as ‘4’. A similar coin,

also dated ‘4’ or ‘4x’ is shown as the first coin in Fig.2 below.

Since these coins are in the name of Shah Alam II (1759-1806

AD), RY 4 would indicate a date of about 1763 AD., before the

state of Bijawar existed.

It is therefore considered more likely that the correct reading

would be “4x”, which would put the date of the coin at about

1799-1808 AD. This is speculative, and it could be argued that

the coins might have been issued from a second Panna state

mint, at Bijawar. As far as I know, there is no historical basis for

Page 6: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

6

this suggestion. We could,

by reference to the name of

the piece, “Ratan Shahi”, as

reported by Mr. John Allan

in his catalogue (ii),

tentatively determine the

probable ruler at the time

of its introduction or use.

Ratan Singh ruled Bijawar

from about 1811 AD until

about 1831 or 1833 AD,

and the Bijawar rupee, if

such it is, is presumed to

have been struck during

that period.

This type of rupee is

reported to have continued

in production until the mint

was closed (in 1892 or 1897

AD, depending on which

authority we follow) by

order of the British

administration. The Krause

coin type reportedly

weighed between 10.7 and

11.6 grammes, but these

figures in Krause catalogues

are often unreliable. The

coin shown below weighs

10.6 grammes. These coins

are scarce. There is another candidate for the Bijawar rupee,

and it is illustrated on p.415 of Dr. Mitchiner’s book on State

coins (iii), and as the second coin in Fig. 2 below.

All similar coins seen in this study (30 or more) weigh about

10.9 grammes and bear the regnal year 25, which is usually on

the flan. These coins are so superabundant, even today, that

the long period suggested for their production does not seem

far-fetched. Dr. Mitchiner’s coin also weighs 10.9 grammes and

bears the regnal year 25. The mint name is usually off the flans

of these coins.

The mint name has not been seen, so far as I know, on the coins

of the first type, and it is rarely seen on coins of the second

type., where it has been read as both ‘Bijawar’ and as ‘Zarb

Chhatarpur’. So even an attribution to Bijawar depends on the

evidence of Mr. John Allan, as cited above, and, in turn, upon

his own sources. The picture in the Krause Publications

catalogues appears to be a copy of that in Mr. Allan’s catalogue,

and so adds no useful information.

Although Mr. Allan includes a second rupee of Bijawar (not

illustrated) in his catalogue, I have not been able to obtain a

picture of it, nor of any other coins, nor even an

acknowledgement of my inquiry, from the museum concerned

(The Provincial Museum, Lucknow). RY 25 fell during the reign

of Bir Singh Deo, and well before the reign of Ratan Singh. Did

Bijawar state strike the lightweight RY 25 rupees, and then later

strike coins of the type with the regnal year 4x shown in Fig.2,

or any other coins? As yet, we do not know.

...

Fig. 2 Two possible candidates for the Bijawar rupee These coins area crudely engraved rupees of

the Chhatarpur mint type, similar to those attributed to Bijawar state in the catalogues above

quoted. The first is thought to be an example of the coin type shown as Bijawar KM.15 in the

Krause catalogues and the one shown in John Allen’s catalogue, although this coin shows a different

part of the die. The regnal year is ‘4’, or more likely ‘4x’, like the coin illustrated in those catalogues,

and the weight is about 10.6 grammes. The second bears the regnal year 25, and weighs marginally

below 10.9 grammes. The mint name is partially on the flan, but is so crudely engraved that it has

been read as both “Chhatarpur” and “Zarb Bijawar”. An example with more of the mint name

showing, or with the mint name better engraved is required before the mystery can be satisfactorily

cleared up. Both coins were photographed in India in 2008

Page 7: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

7

Bijawar coins appear to be,

as suggested in the

catalogues cited, copies of

those of Chhatarpur and

Panna, but it is not known

whether the regnal years engraved on the Bijawar dies refer to

a period specific to Bijawar, are identical, year for year, with

those on Panna and Chhatarpur coins, or are fictitious, or fixed

and irrelevant. Hence it is, at present, impossible to put a firm

date to coins of either type.

Charkhari State

Rulers of Charkhari State..(ix)

AD. Date. AH. Date. Ruler

1765 1178/79 Charkhari State founded

Title - Raja

1765 – 1782 1178/79 – 1196/97 Khuman Singh

1782 – 1829 1196/97 1244/45 Bikramajit Singh

1829 – 1860 1244/45 – 1276/77 Ratan Singh

1860 – 1880 1276/77 – 1297 Jai Singh Deo

1889 – 1908 1297 - 1326 Malkhan Singh

1908 – 1914 Jhujar Singh

1914 – 1920 Ganga Singh

1920 – 1941 Arimardan Singh

1941 – 1947 Jagendra Singh

Charkhari State history and

coins

The tiny state of Charkhari

stands astride the River

Ken, and its capital town

was also called Charkhari.

It was surrounded by

Orchha, Bijawar and

Chhatarpur States. The

foundation of the state

dates from 1765 AD.

After Raja Chhatarsal had

divided his territory into

inheritances for his sons

(see above), various deaths

and succession disputes

intervened before Parhar

Singh brought stability back

to the area by force. He settled Charkhari on Khuman Singh

who ruled it from 1765 to 1782AD. He was followed on the

gaddi by Bijai Bikramajit Bahadur Singh (1782-1829 AD with a

short gap when he was driven out of his state, after which he

was reinstated by Ali Bahadur, during his invasion of

Bundelkhand in 1797/98 AD). He was followed by Ratan Singh

(1829-1860 AD) and Jai Singh Deo (1860-1879 AD). Bikramajit

Singh was confirmed by British sanads in 1804 and 1811 AD.

Ratan Singh also received British sanads. Jai Singh Deo’s

administrative powers were withdrawn by the British. (i)

Charkhari’s currency was described as “The Srinagari rupee

struck at Rath and the Raja Shahi struck at the mint in

Charkhari town”. Charkhari town was also known as

Maharajnagar (vii). This local coinage was replaced by British

coinage in 1864 AD. Ken Wiggins, in his book on Maratha

coinage, cited above, co-authored with Kamal Maheshwari,

states that Rath was “……….at one time in the Jaitpur Raj, but

was taken by Himmat Bahadur during his campaign in

Page 8: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

8

Bundelkhand. A mint was

set up…(and)…..the rupee

struck was known as the

Srinagari: evidently another

copy of the rupee of

Srinagar. They are

reported to have been

exported to Charkhari”.

The original Srinagari rupee

is well enough known, and

specimens are illustrated in

the KM catalogues as

KM.247, 248 and 249: also

in Wiggins and

Maheshwari’s book on page

129 as types T.1, 1a and 1b.

These particular rupees

were struck at Srinagar in

Bundelkhand, but, as Ken

Wiggins reports, there are a

number of known types

that are copies of those

rupees, some of which may

have been struck at Rath.

Interested readers will

please refer to page 130 of Ken Wiggins’ book for a brief but

lucid account of Bundelkhand during this turbulent period.

I know of nowhere else that any Charkhari coinage is reliably

catalogued or discussed. However, there are several types of

coinage in existence, clearly copied from Srinagar, Kora and

Chhatarpur coins and almost certainly struck at about the right

time, and currently loosely described as emanating from

‘uncertain central-Indian mints’. Such chieftaincies were often

short-lived, and consisted of small districts that were

themselves fluid as regards borders. The chiefs of these places

constituted the groups loosely described as local warlords and

Grassia chiefs. The third rupee illustrated above in Fig.1 is just

one example of the coins struck by such chiefs. Among such we

may some day be able to recognise the short-lived independent

currency of Charkhari, among those of other places, but we

shouldn’t hold our breath!

There is one other coin to mention here, a copper double

paisa(?) weighing about 15.3grammes, which has been

tentatively attributed to Mahoba (Maratha) mint by

Maheshwari and Wiggins. I mention it only because an eminent

numismatist in Mumbai has read the bottom line of the reverse

as ‘Charkhari’. Other experts do not agree with his reading, but

perhaps the matter is not yet settled.

Panna State

Rulers of Panna State. (ix)

AD Date AH Date Ruler

c.1450 c. 828 Predecessor state founded

1731 1143/44 Panna State founded

Title - Raja

1675 - 1731 1178/79 – 1143/44 Chhatrasal

1731 - 1739 1143/44 – 1151/52 Hardesah Singh

1739 - 1752 1151/52 – 1165/66 Sabha Singh

1752 - 1758 1165/66 – 1171/72 Aman Singh

1758 - 1778 1171/72 – 1192 Hindupat Singh

1778 - 1779 1192 – 1193 Anirudh Singh

1779 - 1785 1193 – 1199/1200 Interregnum (civil war)

1785 - 1798 1199/1200 – 1212/13 Dhokal Singh

1798 - 1840 1212/13 – 1255/56 Kishor Singh

1840 - 1849 1255/56 – 1265 Harbans Rai

1849 – 1869 } 1265 – 1285/86 Nripat Singh as Raja

Title - Maharaja}

1869 – 1870 } 1285/86 – 1286/87 Nripat Singh as Maharaja

1870 – 1893 1286/87 – 1310/11 Rudra Pratap Singh

1893 – 1898 1310/11 – 1315/16 Lokpal Singh

1898 – 1902 Madho Singh

1902 – 1947 Yadvendra Singh

Page 9: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

9

Panna coins, minted at

Chhatarpur

The Panna rupee minted at

Chhatarpur was known

locally as “Raja Shahi” (not

a very useful name) and

displays parts of Shah Alam

II’s “fadl Allah” couplet,

crudely executed, along

with some very distinctive

symbols or marks. The

most noticeable of these is

the large, stalked Sunflower

(not a sun-burst, because

bursts do not have stalks)

between the words “Alam”

and “Badshah” on the

obverse face. In positions

marked 1 and 2 in Fig. 3 below, left of the sunflower and right of

the ‘mim’ of ‘Alam’, there are two symbols that vary from coin

to coin. There is also, on the reverse, a quatrefoil to the right of

the regnal year and another in the loop of the “S” of fulus and

another mark, resembling a flywhisk, below the word “sanat”,

respectively marked 3, 4 and 5 in Fig. 3. The last three symbols

mentioned appear to remain constant throughout the series.

The coins examined all weighed between 11.1 and 11.3

grammes approximately (one worn example with regnal year 25

weighed only 10.9grammes). The weight stated for the

Chhatarpur rupees in KM catalogues is 10.7-11.6g., and this is

clearly too wide a range. Dr. Mitchiner states that his coin

weighed 10.9 grammes, similar to the weights found for the

possible Bijawar rupees in this study. Some coins examined

displayed parts of symbols in other, more marginal positions

than those mentioned above, but these were fragmentary and

are typically wholly or nearly off the flan. The mint-name

“Chhatarpur”, absent from many specimens, is at the bottom of

the reverse face.

Figure 3. Positions of the five symbols discussed above. It is not common for all five symbols to

be fully visible on a single specimen. Coins without definitely recognisable parts of both symbols at

positions 1 and 2 on the obverse cannot be fitted into this scheme of classification. Symbols at

positions 3, 4 and 5 remained essentially unchanged on all coins examined, where they were visible,

and have therefore been ignored in this study

Up to RY 17, the coins have

the date to the right of the

word ‘Muhammad’ in the

top line of the obverse

legend, but this part of the

die is rarely visible, and

consequently, these coins

are frequently described as

undated.

The few date/year

combinations I have seen

are listed in table B. below.

From these few dates, I

tentatively suggest that they are probably the correct dates vis-

a vis the regnal years.

From RY 18, the date moves to the middle of the bottom line of

the legend. Coins with the RY 18 are dated AH 1190. This is

towards the end of the reign of Hindupat, and the reason for

this date being chosen for such a change is obscure.

From RY 19 to RY 26, the date is AH1192. AH 1192 is the

succession year of Anirudh, and that is probably the reason for

the date change. Coins with RY 27 are dated AH 1199. AH.

1199 falls almost entirely in 1785 AD., the accession year of

Dhokal Singh, and his installation was probably the reason for

this date change. Coins with regnal year 20 have been seen

Page 10: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

10

with the date 1129, but it is

safe to assume that this is

an error for 1192. Coins

with regnal years above 27

are coins of the Chhatarpur

state, and are discussed in

the section of this paper

that deals with that series.

After R.Y.17, the date,

when present, divides the

Persian words “haft

kashuar (kishwar)……zad

dar” (struck in…….the seven

climes). The complete “fadl

Allah” couplet of Shah Alam

II reads, in translation:

“Struck coin in the seven

climes, the shadow of divine

favour: defender of the

religion of Muhammad,

Emperor Shah Alam [‘King

of the world’]”

This couplet was used on

coins from a number of

Mughal, Native State and

Maratha mints, including

those at nearby

Ravishnagar Sagar, (Saugor)

and Kora. Those early coins

of Kora appear to have

been used as a model for

the Panna (Chhatarpur

mint) rupees, with the Kora

symbol of a trident being

replaced by the Chhatarpur

mintmark of a sunflower.

The series finishes in

1784/85, with a coin

bearing the regnal year 27,

which was at the end of the

interregnum and civil war,

and marks the breaking up

of Panna State, and the

founding of Chhatarpur,

Bijawar and Charkhari

states as independent

entities. It may be

presumed that some coins

with regnal year 27 will prove to be coins of Chhatarpur State,

and it is not clear at present whether rupees of the two polities

can be differentiated in R.Y.27. The coin in Table B is almost

certainly a Panna State issue. Coins of the civil war period

appear to be somewhat scarcer than most other years.

The mint name, when present, is at the bottom of the obverse

face. It reads “Chhatarpur” (literally “Che Te P W R”) with

another word above and to the left. This word is not “zarb”

(struck at) as might be expected, but could be read as “sharh”

(town) (vi). The three-dot diacritical mark above the Sh of sharh

seems to have been displaced, on at least some of the coins

examined, to the spot above the Wa of the mint name. Only

the very beginning of the word appears on most flans, and is

often entirely absent.

The coins themselves are somewhat variable in fabric, quality of

engraving and execution of strike, but the weight varies little

from coin to coin. The best are as good as any other hand-

struck rupees from central India, but the worst are significantly

cruder. The earlier coins are usually the best in terms of

execution, including calligraphy and engraving.

They are also, on average, marginally the heaviest. This possibly

reflects the steadily deteriorating political, economic and

security situation during the twenty-five years or so over which

they were struck. The quality of the silver, from its appearance,

may also have become progressively more debased as time

went by. The design or ‘Type’ remained constant throughout

the period, excepting, of course, the change in the position of

the date, mentioned above.

The symbols 3 to 5 display only slight changes from time to

time, as would be expected on coins struck over a protracted

period, from hand made dies. The combination of the symbols

in the positions 1 and 2 does vary from coin to coin, and it is

upon this combination of symbols or marks that classification of

these coins must depend, not on one symbol only, as used in

the Krause catalogues. Exceptionally, one coin seen during this

study, with the regnal year 17 had two symbols in position 1,

one of which replaced the three diacritical dots over the Sh in

the word ‘badshah’.

The sunflower may fairly be regarded as the mintmark of

Chhatarpur mint, and hence, of Panna state before it was

dismembered. It is also present on the later coins, those of

Chhatarpur State and, probably, Bijawar State as well. It has a

dot (round or lozenge-shaped, stalked or not) in place of the

top-most ‘petal’ in almost all coins noticed in this study, but the

Page 11: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

11

significance of this (if there

is any) can only be guessed

at present.

The symbols

Drawings of all symbols

noted at positions 1 and 2

in this study are shown in

table A below. The

drawings are not to any

constant scale. Readers of

the JONS should please be

aware that I have reduced

the number of ‘flower’

symbols, because I have

become convinced that

some varieties shown in

that earlier paper are

aberrations, inevitable

when dies are cut by hand,

or attributable to

‘creativity’ on the part of the engraver. I have also decided to

refer to them as ‘plants’, which is a more accurate description.

The variation is so wide in the plants with 5 heads, however,

that I have included some of the most distinctive varieties of

type (iv) both to show the kind of variation I have ‘lumped

together’, and also to record that variation, rather than ignore

something that may later prove to be significant. On some

coins there is a small group of three dots above and between

symbol 1 and the head of the sunflower. This little mark may or

may not be significant. Its presence or absence has been

recorded in table B below in the ‘dots’ column, where Y or N

means present or absent. It is not the misplaced three-dot

diacritical mark for the ‘Sh’ of ‘Badshah’, because both groups

of dots appear on many examples

The symbols in Table “A” have been found in the combinations

shown in Tables “B” and “C”. The Krause-Mishler (KM.)

numbers are also shown, where the variety appears to have

been included in the KM varieties listing. The KM. date listing

for Chhatarpur, however, should be regarded as a work of pure

fiction.

Page 12: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

12

Table (A) The symbols found in positions (1) and (2) on Panna and similar rupees. (Not to scale)

Page 13: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

13

Table B. Panna State, Chhatarpur mint.

The symbols found in positions 1 and 2, and other details found on the varieties of these coins

examined

Table Contined on next page …

R. Yr. Symbol at Position

1.

Symbol at Position 2. Dot

s

KM.

number

My

number

AH date

None

1

2

3 Winged dots (i) Group of 7 dots N 10.03a

4 Winged dots (i) Group of 7 dots N 10.4a

5 Opening bud Group of 7 dots 10.5a

6 Lotus

Chakra (6 rays)

Group of 7 dots

Group of 7 dots

Y

Y

KM.20

10.6a

10.6b

1179

7 Chakra (9 rays)

Chakra (7 rays)

Group of 7 dots

Group of 7 dots

N

Y

KM.20

KM.20

10.7a

10.7b

8 Chakra (7 rays)

Up-turned

crescent

Group of 7 dots

Group of 7 dots

Y

Y

KM.20

10.8a

10.8b

118(0?)

9 Winged dots (i) Trident (i) N KM.15.1 10.9a

10 Winged dots (ii)

Winged dots (ii)

Trident (ii)

8 dots and circle

N

N

KM.15.1

KM.15.2

10.10a

10.10b

11 Winged dots (ii) Trident (ii) N KM.15.1 10.11a 1185

12 Group of 5 dots

Cross with 4 dots

Trident (ii)

Trident (ii)

N

N

KM.15.1

KM.15.1

10.12a

10.12b

13 Group of 5 dots

Group of 5 dots

Trident (ii)

Retrograde ‘f’ shape

N

N

10.13a

10.13b

14 Group of 5 dots Group of 5 dots N 10.14a

15 Group of 5 dots

Circle and 8 dots

Group of 5 dots

Chakra (6 rays)

N

N

10.15a

10.15b

16 Chakra (6 rays)

8 dots and a circle

Group of 7 dots

Chakra (6 rays)

N

N

KM.15.2

KM.17

10.16a

10.16b

17 Up-turned

crescent

Narrow leaf with

droplet

Cross and 4 dots

Chakra (6 rays)

AND plant (i)

Narrow leaf with

droplet

Narrow leaf with

droplet

Group of 6 commass

3 dots and a circle

Group of 5 dots

Group of 7 dots

Group of 6 commas

Plant (iv)

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

KM.20

10.17a

10.17b

10.17c

10.17d

10.17e

10.17f

DATES To

Be Added

Page 14: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

14

R. Yr. Symbol at Position

1.

Symbol at Position 2. Dots KM.

number

My

number

AH date

18 Trident (vi)

Narrow leaf with

droplet

Trident (vi)

Retrograde Nagari “1”

Plant (iv)

Plant (iv)

N

N

N

10.18a

10.18b

10.18c

1190

1190

119x

19 Ankus Plant (iv) Y 10.19a 1196 for

1192

20 Symbol off flan

Battle-axe

Plant (iv)

Plant (iv)

Y

10.20a.

prov.

10.20b

1129 for

1192

1192

21 Quatrefoil trident

heads

Battle-axe

Chakra (6 rays)

Battle-axe

Plant (iv)

Trident (ii)

Plant (i)

Plant (iv)

Y

Y

N

N

10.21a

10.21b

10.21c

10.21d

1192

1192

1192

22 Quatrefoil (ii)

Opening bud

Up-turned

crescent

Opening bud

Upturned crescent

Plant (i)

Plant (iv)

Plant (iv)

Plant (i)

Plant (iv)

N

N

N

N

N

10.22a

10.22b

10.22c

10.22d

10.22e

1192

1192

23 Double pennant Plant (iv) N 10.23a 1192

24 Double pennant

Group of 5 dots

Group of 5 dots

Double pennant

Plant (iv)

Plant (iv)

Plant (i)

Plant (i)

Y

Y

Y

Y

19

10.24b

10.24b

10.24c

10.24d

1192

1192

1192

1192

25 Down-turned

crescent

Single pennant

Double pennant

Ankus

Plant (iv)

Plant (i)

Group of 5 dots

Plant iv

Y

Y

Y

Y

10.25a

10.25b

10.25c

10.25d

1192

1192

1192

1192

26 Mace

Group of 7 dots

Plant (iv)

Plant (iv)

Y

Y

10.26a

10.26b

1192

1192

27 Flower head of

tear drops

Trident (vi) N 10.27a 1199

Page 15: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

15

Table C. Chhatarpur State and miscellaneous other coins discussed above.

The symbols found in positions 1 and 2, and other details found on the varieties of these coins

examined

*Details of the probable Chhatarpur and Bijawar State coins have been added to the tables.

** Although the Bijawar coin with RY 4x shows a different part of the die from that shown in the

Krause illustration of KM.15 under the entry for Bijawar, it appears to be of the same type, and has

been shown as such in the table a above.

Additional note on the RY

25 rupees of

Chhatarpur/Bijawar

There appear to be two

kinds of year 25 rupees.

The first is the normal

Chhatarpur mint rupees

weighing 10.9 to 11.1

grammes, and the second is

a much cruder product, on

narrower, thicker flans, and

weighing about 10.7 to 10.9

grammes. Most of the year

25 coins are of the latter

sort. This is not true for the Chhatarpur minted rupees of any

other year or date. The flans of coins of RY 25 can be roughly

split between those whose diameters are about 18 mm., and

those whose flans are dumpier, at around 15 to 17 mm, and

whose calligraphy tends to be cruder. There are some coins

intermediate between these two kinds, so the picture is not

clear-cut. I have never seen a date, and only on one occasion, a

mint name on the dumpier kind of flan, and I have tended to

regard them as the ones most likely to have been issued by

Bijawar. I have attributed the wider, ‘better’ coins to

Chhatarpur under Panna State. This is simply because the

catalogues tell us that the Bijawar rupees are dumpier, lighter

versions of the year 25 Chhatarpur rupees. There is , however,

another kind of (probably) Bijawar rupee, and that is the KM 15

coin, with regnal year 4 or 4x. The matter is not yet resolved.

Chhatarpur State coins

begin here. *

28

29

30 Scimitar 8 dots and a circle N Chhat. 1 312 for

1203

31

32

33

34

35 Trident (iv) Plant (ii) N Chhat. 2 1227(sic!)

Possible Bijawar coins. *

25 N Bij. 1

4x Symbol off flan Circle with 10 dots N 15 Bij. 2 **

Other coins possibly from same series. May be

copies from elsewhere.

35 Trident (v) Plant (v)

Page 16: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

16

Conclusions

From the evidence

expounded and

summarised above, I

conclude that there are not,

as described in

the Krause catalogues,

several types of Chhatarpur

rupee, but one type only,

up to RY 27 of Shah Alam II,

with one or more sub-types

or varieties for each regnal

year, defined by the

symbols in positions (1) and

(2) . These coins are not

coins of Chhatarpur State,

but of Panna State,

Chhatarpur mint. The AH.

changes to the mostly fixed dates after AH. 1190 seem to be

related to the starts of new reigns.

Coins with regnal years higher than 27 (and probably some RY

27 coins) were struck after the independence of Chhatarpur

from Panna, and are coins of Chhatarpur State. Similar coins

may be have been struck in other states that split away from

Panna after the civil war period, or might be copies of

Chhatarpur mint rupees made by neighbouring polities, or both.

I have referred to the rupee as Panna type 10, and have

allocated the regnal year as sub-type or variety. The

combination of symbols - one or more combination for each

regnal year - have been given the suffices a, b, c etc.. Please see

column 6 of tables B and C.

Polite request to readers

I would be grateful to hear from any person who wishes to offer

additional details for inclusion in the above tables. Please let

me know the regnal year and the symbols you find in positions

Page 17: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

17

1 and 2, along with the

date, including an

indication of whether any

of its numerals is

retrograde, or in any way

wrongly engraved. State

the position of the date,

and any variation of the

symbols 3 to 5. I would

also like to hear of similar coins with any readable mint names.

A scan, photograph or drawing will be gratefully received – ‘a

picture is worth a thousand words’ - and I will be happy to

reimburse any reasonable expenses incurred. I will compile all

replies received into the tables (A), (B) and (C), and circulate

copies to all contributors, from time to time. Readers outside

India please note that I am still interested in acquiring coins of

these types, with new combinations of date, RY and symbols,

which may be available for purchase, for my personal collection.

End Notes.

1).Dilip Rajgor, in his monograph “Collectors’ Guide to Mughal Coins” intimates on page 32 that

Chhatarpur was a Mughal mint which struck specie for Shah Alam II. C J Brown’s “Catalogue of

Coins in the Provincial Museum Lucknow” (v) lists seven such coins, all of which are apparently of

the type(s) attributed by Krause and other modern cataloguers to the Native (‘Princely’) State of

Chhatarpur, and which are the main subject of this paper. One of these (#4873) is illustrated on

Plate XX, and it is clearly of this type, and does not belong to the Mughal series at all. All the dates

and regnal years of the coins in Mr. Brown’s catalogue are in the range outlined above for the Panna

type, and are therefore believed to be Panna rupees struck at Chhatarpur mint whilst it was part of

the Panna territory. It must be remembered that the excellent catalogue published by Mr. Brown

was written at a time when all coins bearing Mughal inscriptions were, by default, attributed to the

Mughal Emperor whose inscriptions they were. A very great number of such coins are now more

correctly attributed to the Native (‘Princely’) States and “Independent Kingdoms” (with which, along

with Sikh, Maratha and some other polities, they could usefully and logically be combined, within

the inclusive and more helpful description of the “Mughal Successor States”) (iii). It is easy to forget

just how young the modern science of sub-continental numismatics is, and how much we owe to

very recent researchers. We may, perhaps, ask why, in the 21st

century, Mr Rajgor thought it proper

to include Chhatarpur mint in a listing of “Mughal Mints” when it is now generally accepted that it

was never such. However, a brief inspection of Mr Rajgor’s list of “Mughal mints” indicates that it

includes a number of other mints that never struck specie for a Mughal emperor, but did so for

other, independent and semi-independent authorities, in the name of one or more Mughal

emperor. If this were his intention, perhaps it would have been less confusing to beginners and

experienced collectors alike if he had made this clear in his book, which is otherwise a useful

reference work.

2).Prinsep, in his “Useful Tables”, states that the Chhatarpur mint dates from 1816 AD, and that it

was closed by the British in 1882 AD. He is silent about the possibility of the mint operating prior to

this date under the auspices of Panna State. Mitchiner follows him, stating that these rupees were

struck between “about 1816 and 1882 AD”. This now appears to be an error. It is, of course,

certain that some rupees were struck at the Chhatarpur mint after Chhatarpur became independent

from Panna, as I indicate above, but they were not of the type apparently referred to by Mr. Prinsep

and Dr. Mitchiner.

3).Dr. Mitchiner suggests that the regnal years on “Chhatarpur” rupees may refer to the time since

the founding of the state “in 1806 AD”. Most authorities agree that the founding of the state

actually dates from 1785 AD. If Dr. Mitchiner were correct, known coins, from their dates and

regnal years, would have been struck between 1789 and 1811 AD, and hence that suggestion seems

unlikely to be correct. Dr. Mitchiner further states that these coins were last struck for Jagat Singh

between 1854 and 1867 AD. Such coins would logically be expected to carry regnal years from 48 of

Shah Alam II and the regnal years and legends of Bahadur Shah II or Queen Victoria. The latest

number for a regnal year seen in this study for that type of coin was 27 for Panna, 35 for Chhatarpur

Page 18: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

18

state, and a tentative RY 4x for a possible Bijawar coin. Some years above 29 have also been seen

on later copies, probably from outside these states. The partial mint name on the RY 25 rupee of

Bijawar(?) muddies rather than clears the waters, but other specimens will, no doubt, allow a more

accurate reading of that name.

4).Students of Native State coins have been struck by the close resemblance of the Panna rupees

here described to the Kora rupees bearing regnal years 1 to 5 of Shah Alam II, which are included in

the “Peshwa’s Mints” section of the Krause catalogues, as Maratha types KM.160-163 inclusive.

Indeed, if we replace the trident on these coins with the sunflower mintmark of the Chhatarpur

mint, we probably could not tell the resultant hybrid coins from normal Panna rupees. Even many

of the symbols found on the Kora series are identical with (or nearly so) those found on Panna coins.

There can be little doubt that the model for the Panna rupees was that attractive coin from just

across the river, the identity of whose originator is, for the time being, uncertain. It was not, by

common consent, the Peshwa. Other local rulers took the same design, or a pre-existing copy of it,

modified it, and issued similar coins for use in their own and adjacent territories. To date, we do not

have a very clear idea as to the origin of many of these coins, or their intended sphere of circulation.

Incidentally, the splitting of those Kora rupees into a number of types by Krause, seems to be wrong

for the same reasons that apply to the Panna coins of the Chhatarpur mint described here.

5).As well as the Kora rupees mentioned above, the rupees included under the Awadh entry as KM

36 of ‘Muhammadabad Banares’ mint, and as KM 116 of Najibabad mint in the Krause catalogues,

are two other examples of series with many variations in symbol being treated as if every change in

symbol ushers in a new type or sub-type. I suggest that these series require to be treated as single

types, each with one catalogue number, and that the changes in symbol need to be studied and

elucidated. Other series could benefit from the same treatment. Some people would rather

abandon the Krause catalogues altogether, because of the muddle caused by the inclusion of

erroneous data and incorrectly read coins submitted by inexperienced contributors, and the useless

order of entries in recent issues of the Century editions. However, would it not be better if the

errors and omissions could be rectified? Alternatively, does someone among us relish the task of

producing from scratch, a worthy replacement for the India section of the Krause catalogues, and

then keep it updated every year? A brave attempt was made recently by S C Gupta (Coins of Indian

States Pt.1), but it was not very successful because one man cannot cope with such an enormous

corpus of material. An experienced and dedicated team, such as used to work for Krause

publications, would be required.

Bibliography and Acknowledgements..

(i) “Imperial Gazetteer”, 1908, vol. VIII was the source of much of the historical material, but a

number of other historical sources were consulted.

(ii) “Catalogue of the Coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, Vol. IV - Coins of Native States” John

Allan, reprint by Indological Book Corporation, 1976, New Delhi.

(iii) “Oriental Coins and their Values - The World of Islam”, Michael Mitchiner, Hawkins Publications,

London, 1977.

(iv) “The Standard Guide to South Asian Coins and Paper Money since 1556AD”, Krause

Publications,1980, Iola, USA., and subsequent editions of the same publisher’s “Catalogue of World

Coins” (Century editions).

(v) “Catalogue of Coins in the Provincial Museum, Lucknow”, C J Brown, published by R C Senior Ltd,

Oxford Clarendon Press (first printed 1920) reprinted 1976.

(vi) This was read by Stan Goron

(vii) “Maratha Mints and Coinage”, K K Maheshwari and Kenneth W Wiggins, IIRNS, Nasik, 1989.

are mine.

Page 19: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

19

(viii) Some aspects of this subject were discussed with Stan Goron, Shailendra Bhandere, Jan Lingen

and others, and my thanks are due to them for their helpful input. However, the use I made of their

input, the views expressed and the errors made are mine.

(ix) The Ruler Lists used in this article are based on the lists available on the website

“WorldStatesmen.org” with some modification and additional information. The state flags were

lifted from the same site, and I acknowledge this with gratitude to the owner of the site.

About The Author:

Barry Tabor was born in 1945 at Bishop’s Stortford

in Hertfordshire, England and educated at

Newport (Essex) Grammar School and Manchester

University. He then worked for the Home Office

(Prisons Department), a number of Local

Government municipalities and finally retired

from an audit job with an Agricultural Company in

Ely, Cambridgeshire in 2005.

He started randomly collecting Indian coins in

1997. Having found the massive corpus of those

coins from ancient times to the 21st

century just

too overwhelming, he soon restricted his studies

and collecting activities to the late Mughals, Indian

Native States, Marathas, European Colonial

Powers and the Sikhs.

Through membership of the ONS, he was

fortunate to meet and become friends with a

number of experts in the field, most of whom

were very willing to encourage new interest and

educate a beginner in this strange world of

collecting coins from India.

He wishes to especially mention the late, great Ken Wiggins, Jan Lingen, Dr. Shailendra Bhandare,

Stan Goron, Chandrasekhar Gupta, Sri Lal Dennison, Rajesh Somkuwar, Raju Bhatt, Frank

Timmermann, Ashok Singh Thakur, Kamal Maheshwari, Prashant Kulkarni, Stephen Album,

Kashinath Pandit and so many more – historians, epigraphers and linguists, as well as numismatists.

He conveys his apologes to those who should be named here, but whom, through forgetfulness he

might have omitted. He feels he did not meet many who begrudged time, effort or the sharing of

what they had discovered, and the very few who fell short in such matters do not, in his opinion,

deserve a mention, anyway.

He stated above that my gurus have included historians. That, he feels, is particularly important.

Without at least a basic comprehension of the history, how can one begin to understand our coins?

He encourages anybody who wants to know what his coins mean to read a little history.

Page 20: Aspects Of Panna Coinage

20

Among the fine people listed above, some readers will probably notice a few that have rarely or

never been outside India. Barry has enjoyed half a dozen trips to that complicated but enchanting

country. He has worked on ‘meeting’ coin buffs, including dealers, via e-mail and the internet (a

blessing and a curse if ever there was one!) and then meeting some of them in India.

Some of them have been unstinting in their kindness and generosity in showing him and his wife

around their localities, introducing him to other like-minded souls and even entertaining the couple

in their own homes. There are no more open, friendly, busy, generous people on earth, as far as

Barry has seen, and he encourage all non-Indians who collect Indian coins and who have not already

done so, to take the first opportunity to go there and place themselves in the hands of trusted local

enthusiasts.

He have published a few small articles, mostly in the Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society

(and its fore-runner, the ONS Newsletter), but also in a number of periodicals in India. None of it

has been done for profit, but in an attempt to understand and interpret Indian history and coinages

since the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate until the British assumed the rulership of the whole

country from their rivals for power, the Maratha Confederacy – and help others do so, too.

Generally speaking, this is a well-documented period of about three centuries of complex and

colourful history, albeit there are numerous examples of contradictions, errors and biased reporting

among the many versions of that history commonly available.

It is surprising just how much of the numismatic corpus was poorly covered by the coin catalogues

in circulation, and how many errors and omissions are to be found among their pages. The Oriental

Numismatic Society (or, rather its active membership) have done a great deal since about 1980 to

dispel ignorance and encourage students and experts to share their knowledge, experience and

other intellectual property they have picked up over the years. But there is still a great deal of work

to be done.

Onwards and upwards !!

Barry Tabor can be contacted at: [email protected]

Indian Coins Encyclopedia (www.IndianCoins.Org) is thankful to Barry for allowing us to publish and

distribute this document free as part of the Coins Encyclopedia project. You can download

numerous free PDF volumes on Indian coins and other numismatic subjects from the above website

WWW.IndianCoins.Org is a project of Shastri Numismatics Academy