2016-09-21 Wed

The Mauludi year was started by Tipu Sultan in his 5th regnal year. It was started by him due to the difference between the solar and the lunar calendars. The Lunar Calendar is the Hijri Calendar, followed by the Muslims and the Solar Calendar is the Christian or Gregorian calendar was used by Non-Muslims.

Prior to the equaling of calendar, the revenue was collected according to the lunar calendar and the harvest was according to the solar calendar. This created huge problems as the farmers had to pay extra taxes as the Hijri Calendar depended on the motion of the moon and was 11 days shorter than the Christian Calendar.

Citing this problem Tipu sultan introduced the Mauludi calendar in his fifth regnal year which contained twelve Luni-Solar years of twelve lunar months. Mauludi is derive from Arabic word ‘ Maulud-i-Muhammad’ meaning ‘Birth of Muhammad’. With the help of this new calendar problem of solar and lunar calendar was solved.

This is evident from the fact that the coins which come before 1215 bear the date 1200 With regnal year 4.The coins which were stuck in his fifth Regnal year has the date 1215, which signifies that he had introduced the new calendar during the fifth year of his reign.

The Silver Double rupee Coin issued by Tipu Sultan weighs around 22.7gm. Date struck on this coin is 1215 which was struck by him during his fifth Regnal year. Obverse side of the bears the legend “Ahmad Din Dar Jahan Ast Raushan Ze Fatah Haidar He Zarb Pattan Saal Sanah 1215 Muhammad”on the reverse side it read’s as “Huwa Al-Sultan Al-Waheed Al-adil seum Bahari Saal Sha Sanah 5 Julus”.

Truly a people’s King, who changed actually changed the dates for the convenience of his folks!