2022-02-07 Mon

Bismilla Khan of Radhanpur princely state had issued a copper paisa in a rectangular shape. The engraving is found on only one side and that is ‘Jo’ in Devanagari. The reign of Mohammad Bismillah Khan was from 9th October 1874 to 20th December 1895.

The Princely State of Radhanpur was established in 1693 by Khan Jahan, the founder of the Babi dynasty who was the son of the Nawab of Junagadh, Jafar Khan. In 1813 the state came under the authority of the British East India Company and later was a part of the Palanpur Agency of Bombay Presidency. Radhanpur currently is a municipality and a city in the Patan district in Gujarat state.

It once belonged to the Vaghelas, also called Lunavada after the Vaghela Lunaji of the Sardhara branch. Subsequently, it was held as a fief under the Sultans of Gujarat by Fateh Khan Baloch and is said to have been named Radhanpur after Radhan Khan of that family. According to another tradition, the town is as old as 546 and was originally called Radandevpur, from Radan Dev, a Chavda chief. The first Babi entered Hindustan in the company of Humayun. Bahadur Khan Babi was appointed faujdar of Tharad in the reign of Shah Jahan.

Image Courtesy: Mintage World