Assam the land of Brahmaputra, it is a place of incomparable beauty but when it comes to its coinage, one could not stop marveling at this fine piece of art. Today; Assam is situated in the north-eastern part of India was a cherished trophy for many conquerors who kept a covetous eye on the valley of Brahmaputra. But none of them was successful in conquering Assam. This land was ruled by the Ahoms dynasty, the other kingdom in this valley minted coins in the 16th century but the Ahoms struck coins for the first time in 17th-century CE.

This dynasty adopted Hinduism in 1500 CE. This change made their coinage quite interesting because they started inscribing two names on their coins; one Hindu name and other an Ahom name. The above-shown coin belongs to the later king of Assam Brajanatha Simha who ruled this land at the start of 19th Century CE.

This silver rupee which weighs around 11.23g was issued by king Shiva Simha during his rule in Assam. The obverse of this coin is inscribed as ‘Sri Sri Hara/ Gauri Pada/ Parayananam/ Sake/1665, lion running to left below’. The reverse of this coin is inscribed as Sri Sri Siva/ Simha Nrpa Tadva/llabha Sri Sarvve/svari Devinam/RY 31’.

Image Courtesy: Todywalla Auction