Copper Tanka of Muhammad bin Tughluq (Forced) – Daulatabad
Year: 732 AH (1331-1332 AD)
Regnal year: N/A
Weight: 9.2g
Obverse
|
Min Ata’a Al-Sultan faqad Ata’a Al-Rahman (centre)
Dar Takhtgah Daulatabad
Sal bar haftsad si do (in margins) |
मिन अता अल सुल्तान
फ़क़द अता अल रहमन (centre)
दर
तख़्तगाह दौलताबाद साल बर
हफ़्तसद सी दो (in margins) |
من اطاع السلطان فقد اطاع الرحمن (بیچ میں)
در تخت گاہ دولت آباد سال بر ھفتصد سی دو (چاروں
اور) |
|
He who Obeys The Sultan Obeys The Merciful One (centre)
At the Capital Daulatabad
In the year seven hundred and thirty-two (in margins) |
जो सुल्तान
की आज्ञा माने वह कृपालु परमेश्वर की आज्ञा माने (centre) राजधानी, दौलताबाद
में साल सात
सौ बत्तीस (in margins) |
جو سلطان کا حکم مانے وہ الرحمن کا حکم مانے (بیچ میں) دارالحکومت دولت آباد میں سال سات سو بتیس (چاروں
اور) |
Reverse
|
Muhr shud Tankah Panchah gani dar Rozgar Bandah umidvar Muhammad Tughluq |
मोहर शुद टंकह पंचाह गानी दर रोज़गार बंदह ऊमीद्ववार मुहम्मद तुग़लक़ |
مھر شد تنکہ پنچاہ گانی در روزگار بندہ امیدوار محمد تغلق |
|
Sealed as a Tanka Of fifty gani in The
reign of The slave, hopeful of mercy Muhammad Tughluq |
दया की उम्मीद में दास, मुहम्मद तुग़लक़ के शासनकाल में पचास गानी के
टंके के रूप में मुहर लगाई
|
بندہ امیدوار، محمد تغلق کے دور حکومت میں پچاس گانی کے ٹنکہ کی شکل میں مہر لگائ |
About
Muhammad was a great innovator when it came to his currency.
His adoption of a fiduciary copper and brass token coinage in 730-732 AH
(1329-1331 AD) was his most bold venture. He decreed that the base metal tokens
should become current for the silver tanka.[i]
In order to secure the success of this experiment, he caused
such appeals as the following to be inscribed on them: " He who obeys the
Sultan obeys the Merciful". The forgeries were produced in the thousands, and
according to a contemporary historian, "The house of every Hindu turned into
a mint,". The scheme was doomed to fail. The Sultan thereupon withdrew the
scheme and, at his own expense, redeemed both the true and the false coins.
It is unclear why he tried this invention; it's possible
that he intended to utilise the empire's silver riches to buy horses for the
army. Since he agreed to exchange the tokens for gold and silver coins when the
experiment failed—there was allegedly widespread counterfeiting—there could not
have been a scarcity of silver. [ii]
Another interesting point is that the reverse’s legend is in
Persian rather than Arabic, which was much more common for coins of the Delhi
Sultanate. The date is written in Persian as well. The coin was minted in
Tughluq’s new capital of Daulatabad.
The supposed conversion rate of fifty gani is also mentioned
on the coin. The gani was a lower weight copper denomination. Taking into
account that Tughluq issued 6, 8 and 10 gani coins, all under 4g in weight, a
fifty gani should weigh far more than 9g. Hence indicating that the weight of
the token did not matter as it was a form of fiat currency.
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