2018-06-30 Sat

The Princely State of Mysore was formed by the British East India Company in the year 1799 after the victory of the British in the Fourth Anglo Mysore War. It remained under the indirect rule of the Company during the British Raj in India. The Princely State existed until the year 1947 and was later acceded to the newly formed Union of India. Krishna Raja Wodeyar was the Maharaja of Mysore state who ruled from 1799 to 1868 AD.

The gold coins of this period consist of pagodas, half-pagodas and fanams following the Vijaynagar type, with a seated Shiva and Parvati on the obverse and the ruler’s name in Devanagari script on reverse. The large silver half and quarter rupees follow the English and French East India Company style. These coins bear the name Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and the crescent mint-mark. There were also quarter, one-eighth and one-sixteenth rupees with a dancing figure of Chamundi, otherwise known as Durga or Kali on the obverse.

Image Source: Classical Numismatic Gallery