Sikh coinage

== Dates ==

== Dates ==

The dates on Sikh coins normally correspond to the traditional [[Bikrami]] calendar, which is usually 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar (except during January to April, where it is ahead by only 56 years).<ref name=":5" />

[[Sikh calendar|The dates on Sikh coins]] normally correspond to the traditional [[Bikrami]] calendar, which is usually 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar (except during January to April, where it is ahead by only 56 years).<ref name=":5" />

== Language ==

== Language ==

The predominant language of Sikh coinage was [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref name=":1" /> As for scripts, Sikh Empire-era coinage contain examples of both Gurmukhi and Perso-Arabic scripts.<ref name=":3" />

The predominant language of Sikh coinage was [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref name=":1" /> As for scripts, Sikh Empire-era coinage contain examples of both [[Gurmukhi]] and [[Perso-Arabic]] scripts.<ref name=":3" />

== History ==

== History ==

=== Sikh Confederacy ===

=== Sikh Confederacy ===

[[File:INDIA, Independent States. Sikh Confederacy (Misls). Anonymous. AR Gobindshahi Rupee (20.7mm, 11.38 g, 5h). Dar al-Sultanat Lahore mint. Dated VS 1822 (AD 1765). Good VF. (1549 1).jpg|thumb|Sikh Confederacy (Misls). Anonymous. AR Gobindshahi Rupee (20.7mm, 11.38 g, 5h). Dar al-Sultanat Lahore mint. Dated VS 1822 (AD 1765).]]

The Dal Khalsa of the Sikh Confederacy, under the command of [[Jassa Singh Ahluwalia]], occupied Lahore in November 1761.<ref name=":1" /> During that time, a coin was struck bearing an inscription with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia's name.<ref name=":1" /> Its inscription was: ''sikkā zad dar jahān bafazl i-akāl, mulki- ahmad shāh griftah jassā kalal'' ("the coin struck in the world [when] by the grace of God, Jassā Kalāl [Jassa Singh Ahluwalia] occupied the territory of Ahmad Shah [Durrani]").<ref name=":1" /> However, this coin was soon re-called because it was struck in the name of an individual Sikh instead of a Sikh guru and the Jassa's name was truncated.<ref name=":1" /> Another viewpoint is that this coin was struck by non-Sikhs religious leaders of Lahore as a forgery and sent to Ahmad Shah in-order to invoke his wrath and lead him to campaign against the Sikhs.<ref name=":1" />

The Dal Khalsa of the Sikh Confederacy, under the command of [[Jassa Singh Ahluwalia]], occupied Lahore in November 1761.<ref name=":1" /> During that time, a coin was struck bearing an inscription with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia's name.<ref name=":1" /> Its inscription was: ''sikkā zad dar jahān bafazl i-akāl, mulki- ahmad shāh griftah jassā kalal'' ("the coin struck in the world [when] by the grace of God, Jassā Kalāl [Jassa Singh Ahluwalia] occupied the territory of Ahmad Shah [Durrani]").<ref name=":1" /> However, this coin was soon re-called because it was struck in the name of an individual Sikh instead of a Sikh guru and the Jassa's name was truncated.<ref name=":1" /> Another viewpoint is that this coin was struck by non-Sikhs religious leaders of Lahore as a forgery and sent to Ahmad Shah in-order to invoke his wrath and lead him to campaign against the Sikhs.<ref name=":1" />

=== Sikh Empire ===

=== Sikh Empire ===

[[File:Coin of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, minted in Amritsar, dated 1820.jpg|thumb|Coin of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, minted in Amritsar, dated 1820]]

Ranjit Singh occupied Lahore in 1799 and started issuing coinage there from 1801 onwards, from Amritsar since 1805–06, from Multan since 1818, and from Kashmir (Srinagar) since 1819.<ref name=":1" /> Coins were also struck at Pind Dadan Khan, Jhang, and Peshawar.<ref name=":1" /> Ranjit Singh's coinage are more similar in-regards to their inscriptions to the earlier Gobindshahi coins yet they are still classified as Nanakshahi coins.<ref name=":1" /> The contemporary term for the currency was Nanakshahi.<ref name=":1" /> A dinstuinguishing feature of his coins is that they feature symbols like tree leaves and later-on peacock feathers.<ref name=":1" /> Coins that were struck on a mint's first day of operation were first sent to the Akal Takht in Amritsar as an offering.<ref name=":1" />

Ranjit Singh occupied Lahore in 1799 and started issuing coinage there from 1801 onwards, from Amritsar since 1805–06, from Multan since 1818, and from Kashmir (Srinagar) since 1819.<ref name=":1" /> Coins were also struck at Pind Dadan Khan, Jhang, and Peshawar.<ref name=":1" /> Ranjit Singh's coinage are more similar in-regards to their inscriptions to the earlier Gobindshahi coins yet they are still classified as Nanakshahi coins.<ref name=":1" /> The contemporary term for the currency was Nanakshahi.<ref name=":1" /> A dinstuinguishing feature of his coins is that they feature symbols like tree leaves and later-on peacock feathers.<ref name=":1" /> Coins that were struck on a mint's first day of operation were first sent to the Akal Takht in Amritsar as an offering.<ref name=":1" />

From 1828 onwards, the Lahore Mint began minting golden [[Mohur|mohars]] called ''butkīs'', which consisted of 11-1/2 ''māshās'' (around 10 grams) of pure gold.<ref name=":1" /> The silver rupee contained a comparable amount of silver.<ref name=":1" /> A distinguishing characteristic of the butkis is that while they contained the usual inscriptions, they also contained the term ''[[Waheguru]]'' written three times in Gurmukhi script.<ref name=":1" /> The Sikh Empire also circulated quarter-rupees (¼ rupee).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Corbel |first=D. C. |url=https://www.sikhcoins.in/showphoto.php?photo=678&title=a-sikh-quarter-rupee-dc-corbel&cat=550 |title=A Sikh Quarter Rupee}}</ref>

From 1828 onwards, the Lahore Mint began minting golden [[Mohur|mohars]] called ''butkīs'', which consisted of 11-1/2 ''māshās'' (around 10 grams) of pure gold.<ref name=":1" /> The silver rupee contained a comparable amount of silver.<ref name=":1" /> A distinguishing characteristic of the butkis is that while they contained the usual inscriptions, they also contained the term ''[[Waheguru]]'' written three times in Gurmukhi script.<ref name=":1" /> The Sikh Empire also circulated quarter-rupees (¼ rupee).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Corbel |first=D. C. |url=https://www.sikhcoins.in/showphoto.php?photo=678&title=a-sikh-quarter-rupee-dc-corbel&cat=550 |title=A Sikh Quarter Rupee}}</ref>

[[File:Base coin of the Sikhs in Kashmir O1.jpg|thumb|Coins minted during the Sikh rule (1820-1846) in Subah Kashmir were called 'Hari Singhee'. (Obverse) bears the Gobindshahi couplet in Farsi and is inscribed Har in Gurmukhi.]]

The main mints operated by the Sikh Empire were located at Amritsar, Anandgarh, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Jammu, and Kashmir.<ref name=":5" /> Some of the various symbols on the coinage, such as swords, daggers, or lotus flowers, may have represented specific governors of the different provinces of the empire.<ref name=":5" /> The banyan leaf symbolized the empire of Ranjit Singh on the coins.<ref name=":5" />

The main mints operated by the Sikh Empire were located at Amritsar, Anandgarh, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Jammu, and Kashmir.<ref name=":5" /> Some of the various symbols on the coinage, such as swords, daggers, or lotus flowers, may have represented specific governors of the different provinces of the empire.<ref name=":5" /> The banyan leaf symbolized the empire of Ranjit Singh on the coins.<ref name=":5" />

After Sikh victory in Lahore and decline of Durrani administration in the Punjab, the rest of the Sikh polities of the cis-Sutlej region started to mint their own coinage modelled after Patiala, with the name of the mint being kept as Sirhind and inscribing them in the name of Ahmad Shah Abdali.<ref name=":8" /> The coins of the states of Patiala, Nabha, and Jind were recorded by [[Richard Carnac Temple|R. C. Temple]] in ''[[The Indian Antiquary]]'' in November 1889.<ref name=":8" /> Kaithal and Malerkotla also issued their own coinage.<ref name=":8" />

After Sikh victory in Lahore and decline of Durrani administration in the Punjab, the rest of the Sikh polities of the cis-Sutlej region started to mint their own coinage modelled after Patiala, with the name of the mint being kept as Sirhind and inscribing them in the name of Ahmad Shah Abdali.<ref name=":8" /> The coins of the states of Patiala, Nabha, and Jind were recorded by [[Richard Carnac Temple|R. C. Temple]] in ''[[The Indian Antiquary]]'' in November 1889.<ref name=":8" /> Kaithal and Malerkotla also issued their own coinage.<ref name=":8" />

{{Blockquote|text=All the Maharajas of Patiala have used the same couplet in their gold and silver coins. Different Maharajas have used different signs, and it is by these that the coins are assigned to those who struck them.. ..One strange thing is noteworthy. The mint is in Patiala city, but the name of the mint coming on the coin is Sarhind or Sahrind. When we consider that the Maharaja is a Sikh and the Sikhs account Sarhind accursed... the retention of the name seems stranger still. Ahmad Shah Durrani coined in this town, and that is perhaps the reason its name is retained on Patiala coins.|author=Charles J. Rodgers [Honorary Numismatist to the Government of India] (1894)}}

{{Blockquote|text=All the Maharajas of Patiala have used the same couplet in their gold and silver coins. Different Maharajas have used different signs, and it is by these that the coins are assigned to those who struck them.. ..One strange thing is noteworthy. The mint is in Patiala city, but the name of the mint coming on the coin is Sarhind or Sahrind. When we consider that the Maharaja is a Sikh and the Sikhs account Sarhind accursed... the retention of the name seems stranger still. Ahmad Shah Durrani coined in this town, and that is perhaps the reason its name is retained on Patiala coins.|author=Charles J. Rodgers [Honorary Numismatist to the Government of India] (1894)}}

[[File:INDIA, Princely States. Patiala. Maharaja Sir Rajindar Singh. VS 1933-1957 (AD 1876-1900). AV Mohur (20mm, 10.66 g, 11h). Sirhind mint. Dated VS (19)50 (AD 1893). EF. (751 2).jpg|thumb|Patiala. Maharaja Sir Rajindar Singh. VS 1933-1957 (AD 1876-1900). AV Mohur (20mm, 10.66 g, 11h). Sirhind mint. Dated VS (19)50 (AD 1893).]]

However, the early coins of the Phulkian states are difficult to attribute and there are minor variations which can be used to distinguish them from one another.<ref name=":8" /> They also tended to have loose-control over their mints, which decreased the values of the coins in the Delhite markets.<ref name=":8" /> These states paid a tribute to the Maratha Empire until the Marathas were defeated by the British in the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War|2nd Anglo-Maratha war]] of 1805.<ref name=":8" /> By 1809, the British became the hegemonic power in the cis-Sutlej region and most of the polities in the area signed treaties with the British, which helped check Ranjit Singh's southward expansion past the Sutlej.<ref name=":8" /> This shift is also reflected in the coinage of the era, with there being a change toward more clearly-defined symbolism and refined fabric.<ref name=":8" />

However, the early coins of the Phulkian states are difficult to attribute and there are minor variations which can be used to distinguish them from one another.<ref name=":8" /> They also tended to have loose-control over their mints, which decreased the values of the coins in the Delhite markets.<ref name=":8" /> These states paid a tribute to the Maratha Empire until the Marathas were defeated by the British in the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War|2nd Anglo-Maratha war]] of 1805.<ref name=":8" /> By 1809, the British became the hegemonic power in the cis-Sutlej region and most of the polities in the area signed treaties with the British, which helped check Ranjit Singh's southward expansion past the Sutlej.<ref name=":8" /> This shift is also reflected in the coinage of the era, with there being a change toward more clearly-defined symbolism and refined fabric.<ref name=":8" />

=== British period ===

=== British period ===

[[File:British-raj-coins.jpg|thumb|An early postcard summarizing the value of British Indian coinage, one rupee and below, in silver and copper, c. 1905]]

After the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War|annexation of the Sikh Empire in 1849]], the British replaced the local currencies [[Coins of British India|with their own]] honouring [[Queen Victoria]].<ref name=":5" /> However, the Sikh-ruled [[princely state]]s continued to issue their own coinage.<ref name=":1" /> However, [[Kapurthala State]] did not strike their own coinage, instead using Nanakshahis in earlier-periods and British Indian currency in the colonial-period.<ref name=":1" /> Coinage issued by the Sikh princely-states were only valid legal-tender within their territory, however sometimes neighbouring markets close to the border of the state accepted them.<ref name=":1" />

After the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War|annexation of the Sikh Empire in 1849]], the British replaced the local currencies [[Coins of British India|with their own]] honouring [[Queen Victoria]].<ref name=":5" /> However, the Sikh-ruled [[princely state]]s continued to issue their own coinage.<ref name=":1" /> However, [[Kapurthala State]] did not strike their own coinage, instead using Nanakshahis in earlier-periods and British Indian currency in the colonial-period.<ref name=":1" /> Coinage issued by the Sikh princely-states were only valid legal-tender within their territory, however sometimes neighbouring markets close to the border of the state accepted them.<ref name=":1" />