Ahom coinage

Different denominations and types of coins issued during Ahom era

Ahom coinage or Coins of Ahom Kingdom, issued from 1648 CE –1824 CE. First Ahom coin was issued by Jayadhwaj Singha (r. 1648–1663)[1] and the last Ahom king to issue coin was Jogeswar Singha (r. 1821–1824). Coins were usually struck in octagonal shape, but square and round shapes coins were also issued but in limited quantity for special occasions and trade, the obverse of the coin contained the name of the king and date of coin and the reverse contained the imprint of the deity of the concerned king.[2] The script used in coins was mainly Assamese, a few coins in Devanagari and Persian scripts were also issued. Ahom script in coins were extensively used during the war with Mughals. Chinese script was also used in order to meet out trade with Tibet, but is extremely rare.[3]

Coins were both issued in gold and silver. The standard of purity was very high, between 94.1% to 98%. The standard weight was 11.3g with minor variations. The official mint was called Rajshal, located near the capital city. The mintmaster was called Sonardar Barua or Sonari Bordoloi, and the artist belonging to akharkatia khel (calligraphers guild) and khanikar khel (miner's guild) were employed as die-cutter. The principal denominations of Ahom coins were– rupee (Rajmohuree), half rupee (Adhali), quarter rupee (Siki), two annas (Admahia), one anna (Charatiya) and half anna (Tiniratiya).[4]

Before Rudra Singha (r. 1696–1714) all coins were dated to accession year of kings, since him all the coins had annual impress. Siva Singha (r. 1714–1744), for the first time, had the name of his queens impressed alongside him in the coins, his chief consort Phuleshwari was the first to issue coins in persian script[5] Rajeswar Singha had his coins impressed in both Persian and Devanagari scripts. During the Moamoria rebellion, when the rebels wrested out the traditional monarchy, the Moamoria chiefs had impressed coins on their names but in Nonagonal coin shape.[6]

Octagonal shape

Most Ahom coins were struck in an octagonal shape, although round and square issues were also produced in smaller numbers.[7] A tradition recorded in later Assamese chronicles associates the octagonal form with Pratap Singha. According to this account, when Pratap Singha proposed issuing coins, his scholars advised him to adopt an octagonal shape because the Yogini Tantra described Saumara, where Dikkaravasini resided, as eight-cornered: aṣṭakoṇaṃ ca Saumaraṃ yatra Dikkaravāsinī. The explanation given was that the ruler's kingdom, identified in the account with Saumara, was eight-cornered and that its coins should therefore be octagonal.[8]

The historical basis of this explanation remains uncertain. The account is found in chronicles compiled long after Pratap Singha's reign, and the source from which their authors derived it is not known.[9] Other explanations have linked the shape to Shaiva or Tantric symbolism, while Singh(1980) considered it more probable that Ahom coinage was influenced by octagonal enclosures or borders found on the coins of the Bengal sultans.[10] Interestingly, the early coins of the Tripuri ruler Dharma Manikya (1464 CE) also featured octagonal outline inspired by Bengal Sultanate coins.[11] Singh further suggested that the octagonal form may have been inspired by the eight hands of Dikkaravāsinī, the presiding deity of the kingdom. In this interpretation, Saumara’s description as “eight-cornered” may itself have been conceived in relation to the deity’s eight-armed form.

Denominations of Ahom coins

List of Ahom Kings with their coins

RulerReign (CE)Notes
Jayadhwaj Singha1648 CE to 1663 CE Special issue of Jayadhwaj Singha in chinese characters, for the purpose of trade with Tibet. Introduced coins in Sanskrit script.
Chakradhwaj Singha1663 CE to 1669 CEHalf rupee coin introduced by him.
Udayaditya Singha1669 CE to 1672 CEPolitical turmoil led to 10 years of instability throughout the kingdom, leading to no regular issue of coins.
Gadadhar Singha1681 CE to 1696 CEIssued coins in Ahom script.
Rudra Singha1696 CE to 1714 CEMonetized the economy. Introduced half and quarter-rupee coins.
Siva Singha1714 CE to 1744Smaller coins, weighing 12 and 6 were introduced. Coins in Persian script were issued for the first time. The name of his queens was also imprinted on coins alongside his.
Pramatta Singha1744 to 1751 CERe–introduced coins in Ahom scripts for his coronation ceremony.
Rajeswar Singha1751 to 1769 CEIssued coins in Devanagari, Arabic and Persian and Urdu languages
Lakshmi Singha1769 CE to 1780 CEFirst Moamoria rebellion, coins issued by the Moamoria chief, who briefly occupied the capital for 4 months.
Gaurinath Singha1780 CE to 1794 CEIntroduced coins weighing 3 ratis. Contemporary to him, the Moamoria chiefs had also minted coins, who took control of the capital after wresting him.
Kamaleswar Singha1795 CE to 1811 CEShifted the capital to Jorhat, established mint at there.
Chandrakanta Singha1811 CE To 1818, 1819 to 1821Issued coins in Assamese Script.
Purandar Singha/Brajanth Singha1818 CE to 1819, 1833 CE to 1838 CECoins in the name of Brajanth Singha, father of Purandar Singha, were issued. Introduced Copper coins for the first time.
Jogeswar Singha1821 CE to 1824Jogeswar Singha, was a mere puppet of Burmese. He was the last king of Assam to have coins issued.

Notes

  1. ↑ "No doubt there are references in literary texts to the use of coins by a few early Ahom kings like Siu-Ka-Pha (Sukapha, 1228–1268), Siu-Dang Pha (Sudanpha,1397–1407), Sui-Han Pha (Suhenpha 1488–1493), Siu-Hum-Mong (Suhunmung, 1497–1539). But no coins of them has been discovered till now."(Dutta 2019:13)
  2. ↑ (Baruah 1985:41)
  3. ↑ Chakraborty, Priyank (2021). "10 facts of medieval coins monetary system in north east india assam". Loft Me Go.
  4. ↑ Thakur, Ambuj (2020-07-14). "Ahom Coins: Myths, Lore & History". PeepulTree. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  5. ↑ (Baruah 1985:40)
  6. ↑ (Baruah 1985:42)
  7. ↑ (Baruah 1985:41)
  8. ↑ Singh 1980–1981, pp. 429–430.
  9. ↑ Singh 1980–1981, p. 430.
  10. ↑ Singh 1980–1981, pp. 430–431.
  11. ↑ The legend around the lion reads: Śrī Durga Pada Para Ratnapure Śake 1386 and the reverse legend: Śrī Śrī Ra/tna Māni/kya Deva within a "double octagon"...Obverse as previous coin, with the same three-line legend, this time within an incurving "single octagon".

References

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