Exhibition

From the early rulers of Sindh to the last Mughal emperors, the exhibition covers 45 coins from various famous kingdoms such as the Delhi sultanate and Mughal empire but also features coins from local Sultanates such as those of Malwa, Gujarat, Kashmir and Bengal.

Each coin is accompanied by a word-by-word bilingual translation its inscription which is generally in Arabic or Persian. An illustration of each coin's text is also provided such that one can truly appreciate the complexity and beauty of the calligraphy.

This exhibition was curated by Aviral Agarwal and organized by the Chandigarh Museum and was open from 29th July to 13th August.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Chief Guest, Dr. Sanjay Garg, Deputy Director, National Archives of India, New Delhi.

The exhibition was extensively covered by city news.

"From the early rulers of Sindh to the last Mughal emperors, the exhibition covers 45 coins from various famous kingdoms such as the Delhi sultanate and Mughal empire but also features coins from local Sultanates such as those of Malwa, Gujarat, Kashmir and Bengal.  Each coin is accompanied by a word-by-word bilingual translation its inscription which is generally in Arabic or Persian. An illustration of each coin's text is also provided such that one can truly appreciate the complexity and beauty of the calligraphy. "

I have served as the curator for an exhibition on Medieval Indian coins organized by the Government Museum and Art Gallery (Chandigarh Museum).

Although coin catalogues and exhibitions are abundant, my unique contribution in this field is that each of the 45 coins has been provided with a colour coded illustration of its text which is then transliterated into Roman, Devangari and Arabic scripts and subsequently translated into English, Hindi and Urdu. This format is unique in that usually when coins are displayed in museums, even the most prestigious ones, often the text of the coin is not emphasized and it without it the full meaning and significance of the coin cannot be absorbed by the visitor. As the text on the coins is often unclear or difficult to understand even for speakers of Arabic and Persian today, the translation and illustration is quite helpful for both experts and beginners.

The illustrations are the primary feature of this catalogue as it is often the case that the inscription on the coins is unclear or incomplete and, in these scenarios, the presence of an illustration is useful.  The illustrations have been made such as to strike a balance between the aesthetic value of the calligraphy and accuracy to the extant legend.

My Work

I physically examined each coin present in the collection of the museum (Over 2,000) to choose from them around 45 coins to go into this exhibition. I chose the coins based on a variety of criteria including visual appeal, historical significance and the interest of the inscription.

I have written all the descriptions of the various rulers, historical events and the description of the coins. I have made by hand all the illustrations featured through a software known as Adobe Illustrator and have used a drawing tablet. I also wrote all the translations of the text. The formatting of the catalogue has also largely been done by me.

1.       I have collaborated and worked alongside the museum staff in the process of selecting these coins and planning a method to display them. I also worked with an expert photographer who photographed all the coins featured. I have been in contact with various researchers and experts in the field who have offered their suggestions and corrections. I also worked with an expert on the Urdu, Persian and Arabic languages who not only taught me these languages but also helped me in translating the inscriptions and making sure that there were no errors. I also worked with the students and alumni of Punjab university in the Art History department who were behind the formatting of the displays and posters used in the exhibition. I also worked closely with the printing press in the formatting and designing of the catalogue.

1.       I have used 11 books, and 23 research papers and articles while working on this project. (Their list is available in the bibliography of the book). I have read books of written in various time periods, for instance, I used several British colonial era books written by some of the earliest Indian numismatists. The style of writing in these is noticeably different from modern works. I have also quoted several prominent and also lesser-known researchers in my work at various places. I have consulted several experts in the field and have taken their input in this project. From researching the history behind these coins, to translating the inscription on these coins, a great deal of research-work has been involved in this project.

This exhibition was heavily publicized not only by the city newspapers but also in various coin and history related communities. We have sold out of almost all the copies of the catalogues printed within 2 weeks of release. It has been praised not only by regular visitors but also by highly-esteemed experts in the field. In fact, several of the researchers who I’ve quoted have reached out to me and have asked for a copy of the catalogue. People have also travelled from nearby places such as Delhi to specifically visit this event.

Dr. Sanjay Garg, Deputy Director, National Archives, New Delhi, who was the chief guest of our event has not only written the foreword in the catalogue, but had also inaugurated the event. He was quite appreciative of the initiative and was impressed with the uniqueness of the format which he mentioned in his speech.

The catalogue is also being reviewed in the highly reputed Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society by Dr. John Deyell, a very senior researcher and an authority on Indian coins. He is a scholar and an alumni at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He too was quite satisfied with the book; the review shall be published in the coming months.

I have also been granted the state award on Independence day by the Governor of Punjab and administrator of Chandigarh for my contribution in the field of Art & Culture.