2021-08-18 Wed

The word Jaintia is derived from the Shrine of Jayanti Devi or Jainteswari, this word is also derived from the name of the former kingdom Jaintia kingdom, the rulers of these kingdoms were Bangladeshi non-tribal. The Jaintia are the groups of Brahmin Hindus living in Nartiang and Jowai.

Jaintia was an ancient kingdom of Assam, today it is situated in Bangladesh and North-East India. The origin of this kingdom is still unknown, but the people of Jaintia share a megalithic culture with related Khasi people on the Shillong plateau which is of uncertain age, but their common oral history claims that they settled in the region, in the distant past.

This silver rupee that weighs around 9.40g, was issued by king Bar Gossain II during his rule in Jaintiapur. The obverse of his coin is inscribed as ‘Sri Sri Shiv Charan kamal Madhu Karasya”, Star, Sword to right, Pistol to left margin’. The reverse of this coin is inscribed as ‘Sri Sri Jayantipur Purandarasya Sake 1653’.

Image Courtesy: Oswal Antiques