THE LODI COINAGE - SOME QUESTIONS

Author(s): Najaf Haider

Source: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress , 1989, Vol. 50, Golden Jubilee
Session (1989), pp. 229-235
Published by: Indian History Congress

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.com/stable/44146047

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 229

32

THE LODI, COINAGE - SOME QUESTIONS

Najaf Haider

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230

1 .3 In the absence of complete assay results, it is quite difficult to evaluate

the relative contents of silver and copper per billon coin and their varying
proportions over a period of time. A few sample coins are assayed in Thomas
and Wright,4 and the result suggests the prevalence of two types of heavy
billon coins according to their silver contents ; the one with silver content of
1 5.3 grains, 1 4 grains, and 6.7 grains in the beginning, middle and end of the
reign' and the other with an average silver content of 23.74 grains per coin
successively.

1.4 Bahlul Lodi, besides issuing billon coins, simultaneously issued copper
coins (altogether 81 computed for this study). In the beginning two types of
coins were issued: one ranging in weight from 80 to 86.2 grains and the other <
77 grains. These were soon abandoned, the former earlier and the latter sub-
sequently,. in favour of a more standard coin of 69.5 to 72 grains which was
minted for a longer period of time before being taken over by the coins of the
Jaunpur Shahr mint. All these types were issued from a mint called Darul Mulk
Delhi, which seems to be exclusively a copper mint. The heavy type, ranging
from 1 34 grains to 1 42.7 grains was issued from the Delhi mint and continued
for long till it, in a similar fashion, gave way to the Jaunpur coins. The issues
of the Jaunpur mint were first noticed in 888 AH(1483 AD) in a manner that
the coins uttered by this mint remained the standard copper coins till the end
of Bahlul's reign. Though the Delhi mint did not completely stop functioning
and a coin of 110.5-109.5 grains made an occasional appearance in this
period, barring the 150 grains coin, which, very much like its billon counter-
part, was presumably of a token significance, no regular functioning of this
mint is noticed thereafter. The copper mints of Bahlul, to an extent, had a cer-
tain standard of their own in terms of the weight therefore, ranged from 58.4
to 67.5 grains in weight and remained distinctive from the weight type main-
tained earlier, though coins of this weight type were intermittently issued ear-
lier also from the Darul Mulk Delhi mint. Two other types were also issued
from the Jaunpur mint of lighter weight, but the desultory manner in which
they survive suggests nothing more than an attempt in further debasement.

1.5 The obverse of the copper coins bore the emperor's name and, in case
of Delhi issue, the mine name, with the imperial title and date on the reverse.
The Darul Mulk Delhi and Jaunpur issues normally carried the mint name on
the reverse.

1 .6 Apparently, departing from the minting policy of his immediate predeces-

sor, Sikandar Lodi, soon after his accession, reverted back to the heavy type
billon coin of Bahlul. Sikandar's billon coins of this type survive in large num-
ber in the catalogues, and weigh from 1 46 grains to 1 39. 1 grains. These were
coined without interruptions throughout his reign. Another type of coins

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 231

which almost ran parallel to his standard billon range from 132.5 to 138 grains.
These two types of coins were minted from Delhi till 905 AH(1499 AD), after
which coins were struck at an anonymous mint, for all the coins appearing
after 1499 A.D. bear no mint name. It has been suggested that the Delhi mint
was abandoned after Sikandar shifted to Agra in 1 503 AD5. This does not,
however, solve the mystery of the anonymous mint for coins from this mint
were issued concurrently with those of the Delhi mint from 898 A.H.(1492
A.D). Wright's suggestion that these were the camp issues in the beginning6,
can be accepted with the difficulty that why after issuing coins from the Agra
mint, Sikandar did not think of giving them the mint name?

1.7 Sikandar also maintained the prototype of lighter weight, which ranged
from 53 to 57 grains and appear, though occasionally with and without the
mint name. Other types of still lighter weight, and probably of half the
denominational value of the standard coins, were also issued time to time.

1 .8. The assay results of various pieces of Sikandars standard billon show a
marked reduction in their silver content from those of Bahlul's time.7. The
reason for the further debasement of his billon is not exactly know, but it is
clear that Sikandar Lodi's standard billon of 146 grains was at par, in value,
to those of Bahlul's 60.6 to 56 grains billon coins, which must, therefore, had
similar component of silver.

1 .9 We know very little about the copper coins minted under Sikandar as very
few are mentioned in catalogues and their weights are not recorded. The cop-
per coins were issued throughout his reign from the Delhi mint and sub-
sequently without any mint name. The two copper coins of 55.5 grains
mentioned by Thomas belong to the middle of his reign8

1.10 Another intriguing feature of Sikandar's coinage was the complete ab-
sence of any coin in the surviving specimens of the period between 1514 to
1517 A.B. If Sikandar really stopped minting coins after 1514 and relied main-
ly on the already circulating coins, then one needs searching for more infor-
mation on the subject to link this with the state of the economy during the
Lodi period.

1.11 Ibrahim Lodi resumed the minting of billon coins but on a seemingly
modest scale. He instituted new weights for the heavy types of his billons
ranging in the first year from 77 to 79.5grains, 84.7 to 88.5 in the second year,
and 80.7 to 85 grains in the third. No coins exist in our sources of informa-
tion from 927 A.H. onwards, though Ibrahim ruled for a longer period.
Ibrahim's lighter weight billon coins, however, correspond to those issued by
Sikandar Lodi, and range from 42 to 43.5 grains. The heavy type copper coin

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232

issued by Ibrahim of 83.5 grains corresponds to the copper issues of Bahlul

Lodi, while the lighter types seem to be his innovations. None of Ibrahim's
coin carry the name of the mint they were issued from.

1.12 Any study of the Lodi coinage has to grapple with a key problem. The
Lodi coins themselves do not give any indication of their denominational
value, and make the task of determining their exchange value singularly dif-
ficult. In such case, one has to evaluate, assuming that the intrinsic value of
the coin determined its exchange value under free market conditions, the
metallic components of the coin and their market price in order to ascertain
the real value of the coin. Such an exercise is extremely challenging in view
of the lack of information available on the subject. It becomes all the more
compounded in dealing with a currency system which observe immense fluc-
tuations in uniformity and standard, such as that of the Lodis. It is quite pos-
sible that large number of coins of the previous regimes which remained in
circulation side by side with those minted in one particular regime must have
posed serious problems to the people in determining their exchange value
unless a comprehensive effort was made by a particular ruler to square the
currency prototypes at his accession with that of his own. Such a situation
seemed quite congenial for a flourishing trade in currency exchange, of which
the sarrafs happened to be the masters, though we hardly get any informa-
tion of this business in our period.

1.13 The source dealing with the Lodi period however, describe the
prevalence of a coin called tanka . In the reign of Bahlul Lodi tanka was fre-
quently referred to as the current coin.9.There is one billon coin of Bahlul
which called itself sikka of Bahlul Shah Sultan11. Nelson Wright considers
the principal billon coin of Bahlul to be the tankas current during his reign
for the fact that it corresponds, both in weight and composition, with the bil-
lon tankas of the preceding Sultans.11. The large amount of money quoted
in tanka during the reign of Bahlul Lodhi12 could not have possibly been
minted during his reign, and the tanka in use was possibly identified with the
standards billon coin of Bahlul. The tanka appears to be established coin
during Sikandar's time. It was used in big and petty transactions13 in stating
the revenue rates,14 and making statements of loans.15 It is, however, not
explicit in what way, and under what name, the earlier tankas were distin-
guished from the billon coins issued by Sikandar, and which, as we witnesses,
underwent a certain degree of debasement.

1.14 The author of Tarikh-i-Daudi while discussing the economic conditions

of the reign of Ibrahim Lodi in a passage refers to the prevalence of coins of
two denominations, tanka and bahluli , without divulging their respective
value.16. The features of the coin bahluli are not very clear to us. In Wright's

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 233

opinion, the standard billon Tanka of Bahlul Lodi came to be known as bah-
luli either during the reign of Bahlul himself or subsequently.17. Abul Fazl, in
his statement on the copper currency of Akbar relates his dam with the bah-
luli -18. Thomas and Wright have contested Abul Fazl's identification on the
count that ho copper coin of Bahlul exists to the weight of Akbar's dam ., and
the silver content of Bahlul's billon coin gives it a value higher than Akbar's
copper dam ,19

1.15 We have admitted that a large number of coins of preceding reigns co-
existed with the Lodi coins. References, though infrequent, to the existence
of silver coins have also been made by the contemporary chronicles.20. It
thus seems probable that the term bahluli was given to the billon coin of
Bahlul Lodi in order to distinguish it from the circulating silver tanka of the
period. This distinction was maintained even subsequently in the account of
Tarikh-i-daudi . In an interesting way the author of Tarikh-i Khan Jahani ,
gives denominations of various coins current during Sher Shah's reign in a
descending order, and places bahluli . after fanfca21. Analogy need not be ir-
relevant of Babur distinguishing the silver tanka with tanka siyah while ac-
counting the tribute collected from the Tirhut region.22. One question,
however, remains unanswered. In what way the debased 'tanka ' of Sikandar
Lodi existed between a superior billon piece of Bahlul and the silver anka ?

1.16 The cumulative impression which one gets after a rambling survey of
the Lodi coinage is that the limited numerical strength of the coins as well as
progressive reduction in weight and ratio of precious metal all point to a
decisive factor which drove the Lodi coinage to this status. Such a factor, as
has been suggested in the beginning; and was mentioned by a contemporary
writer.23, seems to be the shortage of gold and silver in the empire to an ex-
tent that they were not available for being minted as coins. One has to wait,
however, for further information on the actual working of the Lodi mints in
order to locate its inability, in a particular economic set up, to attract precious
metals. One wonders in what way Babur was suddenly able, though to a
limited extent, to mint gold and silver coins. Altogether eighty silver coins of
Babur survive from the period 933 to 938 A.H. (1526-1531 A.D.).24.

Notes and References

1 The catalogues used for the present study are : Catalogue of the Coins in the
Museutoi Calcutta including the Cabinet of the Asiat Society of Bengal Vol II
Wright Coins of the Delhi Sultans Oxford 1907 ¡Catalogue of Indian Coins in the B
Museum Stanely LanePoole The Sultans of Delhi Londonl884 Prayag Day al Catal
Coins of the Sultans of Delhi in the provincial Museum Lucknow Allahabad 1925;N
Wright The Coinage and Metrology of the Sultans of Delhi; Incorporating a Cat
of the Coins in the author s cabinet now in the Delhi Museum Delhi 1936 The
catalogued by Edward Thomas The Chronicles of the Pathan kings of Delhi

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234

Edition 1967 have also been taken into account along with the Catalogue of the
Coins collected by C J Rodgers in the Lahore Museum 1893 The charts appearing at
the end are mainly drawn from these sources

2 Irfan Habib Caste and Money in Indian History (D D Kosambi Memorial Lectures)
Bombay 1987 pp 26-7 The causes behind such a shortage of precious metals have eluded a
possible explanation

3 All the information regarding the coins if not quoted otherwise is based on the
charts drawn at the end

4 Thomas op cit p 359; Wright 1936 op cit p 408 (appendix Bl)

5 Wright 1936 op cit 260

6 Ibid

7 WTright 1936 op cit p 408; Thomas op cit p 359

8 Thomas op cit p 366 (no 316)

9 Tarikh-i Khan Johani wa Makhzan-i Afghani Khwaja Niamatullah ed Syed

Muhammed Immauddin Asiatic Society of Pakistan Dacca 1969 pp 88 164 168

10 Wright 1936 op cit p 245 (No 914 B)

11 ¡bid p 257

12 Tarikh-i Khan Jahani wa Makhzan i Afghani op citd pp 164 168

13 Waqiü i Mushtaqi Rizqulla Mushtaqi Rotograph (no 3) of Br Museum Ms in

Research Library Department of History A M U ff 66 71 Tarikh-i Salatin i Af
ghana Ahmad Yadgar ed Mohd Hidayat Hussain RASB 1939 p 110

14 Tarikh-i Daudi Abdulla ed Shaikh Abdur Rash id Aligharh 1954 p 43

15 Mirat i Sikandań ed S C Misra and M L Rahman Baroda 1961 pp 404 5

16 Tarikh-i Daudi op cit pp 104 5 For a different view see J F Richards The
Economic History of the Period : 1451- 1506; JESHO Vol 8 No 1

17 Wright 1936 op cit p 258

18 Ain i Akbari Abdul Fazl ed Blochman 2 Vols Asiatic Society of Bengal 1876
Vol I p 31

19 Thomas op cit pp 359-61; Wright 1936 op cit pp 258-9

20 Tarikh i Salatin i Afghana op cit pp 17 22 The reference to the rupee coins is

a post facto ascription of a later denomination to the silver coins of the Lodi period

21 Tarikh-i Khan Jahani op cit pp. 315-16

22 Babur Nama Persian Text ed by A S Beveridge London 1971

23 Tarikh-i Daudi op cit pp 104-5

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 235

24 Stanęły Lanepoole The Coins of the Mughal Emperors of Hindustan in the British
Museum London 1892; Catalogue of the Coins in the Indian Museum Vol II Nel-
son Wright Mughal Emperors of ìndia Oxford 1908; RB Whitehead Vol II Corns
of the Mughal Emperors ; Oxford 1914; Catalogue of Coins in the provincial Museum
Lucknow Vol I C J Brown Coins of he Mughal Emperors Oxford 1920 ; C R
Singhal Supplementary Catalogue of Mughal Coins in the State Museum Lucknow
öLucknow 1965

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