2015-11-21 Sat

Tipu Sultan aka the Tiger of Mysore is known in history as the Saviour of Deccan. He is remembered for the fight he gave to the British and also for his great military achievements. His most remarkable achievement was use of “pioneer rockets” in wars which are considered to be one of the history changing innovations. His short reign of 17 years has thus become the most celebrated one.

Similarly, Tipu Sultan’s innovation is also seen on his coins which show a greater variety and very distinctive features. Tipu Sultan issued fascinating varieties of coins which are unique in numismatic history of India. He reformed the coinage system and invented special names for coins having different denominations, mints as well as to the dating system.

Tipu Sultan issued a large variety of coins in Gold, Silver and copper. The gold and silver coins are specially known for their decorative legends in Arabic scripts. In initial years of his reign, the coins bear Hijri Date. The coins issued during the later years of his reign depict a new calendar system i.e. Mauludi Era.

Coins of Tipu Sultan were minted at twelve mints which were spread all over the

deccan. Bengluru
Faizh Hisar (Gooty)
Farrukhi (Feroke)
Farrukh – yab – Hisar (Chitradurga)
Kaliqabad (Dindugal)
Kalikut
Khwurshed – Sawad (Dharwar)
Nagar
Nazarbar (Mysore)
Pattan
Salamabad
Zafarbad (Gurramkonda)

The peculiar characteristic of the coins of Tipu Sultan is the names given to them. Tipu Sultan named each and every coin issued by him and no two names were the same. The Gold and Silver coins of Tipu Sultan were named after Muhammadan saints and Khaliphas where as his copper coins (except “double paisa”) bear the names of the stars.

Gold Coins
Four Pagoda – Ahmedi
Double Pagoda – Sadiqi
Pagoda – Faruqi
Silver Coins

Double Rupee – Haidari
Rupee – Imami
Half Rupee – Abidi
Quarter Rupee – Baqiri
One – eighth Rupee – Jafari
One – Sixteenth Rupee – Kazimi
One – thirty – second Rupee – Khizri

Copper Coins

Double Paisa – Othmani or Mushtani
Paisa – Zohra
Half Paisa – Bahram
Qurter Paisa – Akhtar
One eighth paisa – Qutb