(CHAPTER II ‘The Coinage of the Misl Period AD 1765-1799 Brief Account of th pio 1765 ; banda Bahadur established Sikh rue in Subah Sind and the suroundlng tn 170. and esablshed the Sikh sate on the, principle, of andholings svete taken over from zamindars and di args GF those lands giving re 0 peasant propletrships? Land event wis a-yeany basis, at one-third (0 the government an wt Fear be paid eiter in cash oF in kind. The case system and rate institutions were St UP, ih forces also made incutsions ‘William Irvine states: fixed on peasants, which could ibe ions were abolished and dem: Social distinctions were al poteworhy achievement in that few ight upto Lahore and the Upper sow scavenger oar dese, the es of he low in can sation BO met Re eon a nest fot win the home and join the Guru, when in , ' hey stood before him with joined hands, swatng his orders NOUS ok ‘red te dsobey an order, and men, a 4 Bahadur Shah, the sked to join him with their forces’ The Sikh forces could not stand er ns oo a pe imperial army which was assisted by several governors end Ralpal Sree ey a ‘stem the tide of the imperial Sarat bat roe d his forces and returned to the plains in Septem! asked 10 rie COBAGE OF THES FEROD ww 65199 ® Farrukh Siyar, who succeeded to the throne, sent a large simy under Abdus Samad Khan’and Zakariya Khan 10 chastise the Sikhs. The Mughal armies camped at Sadhaura and fighting continued for a few months. According to Khali Khan, ‘Sikhs showed greatest boldness and daring and made nocturnal attacks on the imperial forces and exhibited great courage and daring.® When the stocks of supplies and munitions were exhausted, Banda Bahadur and his troops once again took refuge in the Shivalik Hills in October 1713 as they had done in mi Banda Bahadus once again reorganized his forces and became active in the areas north of Amritsar, close to Gurdaspur, from where he could also retreat to the nearby jungles. The Mughal forces in a surprise move converged on the Sikh forces from three sides; on the fourth side was the Ravi in spate it was not possible to ford the river Banda Bahadur took shelter in Gurdas Nangal where he was surrounded by Mughal forces in Apsl 1715 The siege lasted for ight months. The Sikhs could not break the siege although they fought very bravely Banda Bahadur with 740 followers was captured and sent in chains to. Delhi Where the captives were executed in batches in June 1716. Thus the shor lived Sikh struggle to carve out an independent ste once agiin ended in a fiasco, The Sikh resurgence had been completely crushed and the Mughal emperor Issued orders for the complete annihilation of the Sikh communty. A prize money of Rs. 25 was placed on the head of every Sikh and Rs, 100 for every Sikh caprured alive, Peny girls were to be made concubines and elderly women Were 10 be used as maid servants. The Sikhs were in a crtical position, the faces extreme persecution and they had no leader to guide them” The sikhs Simply disappeared from the Mughal dominions, Those who had escaped capture Ried to the Shivalc Fils, che Malwa desert, and the Lakhi jungles!" Once th Shock of their defeat wore off and they had adjusted to the changed circumstances, the Sikhs once again began organizing themselves and dreaming of regaining fhe independence which they had tasted for a short while. The zeal and courage Iphlch Guru Gobind Singh had engendered among the Sikhs made itself manifest he Siks continued their struggle until they were finally able tO regain the Sikh Bible in 1765. The half century from 1715 to 1765 had been a long-drawn out iuggle againse the might of the Mughal Empite and the Afghan invaders, Mhatked by ebbs and flows, defeats and successes, in which about 2,00,000 Brave Sins lox their les, but their spit remained unbroken, Bach defeat Wo inspire them to greater effort and resolve until they finally achieved PE goal. his half century has been the golden period of Sikh struggle. I ie Sikis emerged from their hideouts and attacked goverment officials Fostile villages located close to the foothills and jungles. Samad Khan could PPFess the Sikhs and he was shited to Multan and a very tough and able Zakanya Khan, was posted in his place in 1727. Zakariya Khanen ‘called ibukabs, as well as ace down the SKIS ay cack, proved with very eflecive Bur camels and ores (0 Sena them. These woops worked qute effctvly eae chs adapted themselves 10 the changed situatios . es sm to make successful in-rusions fate hideouts and extern arco to guerila tactics which permite ein a ‘The situation has been very the day and the Khalsa at night” an also. an able poltician. Having iacating sormanya Kl ‘a great commander, was = Soe ew offering them jagis, nawabships, and peaceful residence a tee aan a crt qawabship was jokingly thrust on the young Si api oer of a, aed af he ial a chen’ BY it gh be st of the Sikh Fores in a See for the government, Zakariya Khan in 2s, which was declined by the Singh, who at the time, in 173 i net hard work Rap Singh became the I Stine he was the only aawab who never anended ated onthe spre The SK we S753 maa fer to rx Si mos fr, we Stns and ae chats invasion snuary-May 1739 placed the government Shai vat canes and rade tal ieflecve, This Hc skis wto now emerged from thei hideouts and in north ina in very ¢ and oe udforts as places of retreat a ys ad ot ey se ao bed ha hey atacked the rear of Nac Shih 2 Th Si rns ofa prt of es boo plndered fom he Impt a Sa” Nadir Shah wtion with Zakariya Khan made certaife fe remarks about the Sikhs. prophetic remarks abot ef maker wm Who are these mise Fe oe Sour of fie ho Za Toke ene Te day oe tt when th Bae red to the use of mobiles ‘afer ihe return of Nadir Sha, Zakaria Khan again resort! 10 the usc of ce eis and the, hs once agi reseed 0g Cetumas to persecute sre atin rea ret the Sikh temp Galariya Khan desecrated th whe i place. Zari Khan ded ; Si found iting the Ne ce due wo cour aes, Te Sikhs once aa eth gover came in his Pl snd organize themselves ft the opportunity to come out and. Orga hideous arranged themselves into the Budha Dal and the Taruna Dal. They assembled at Amrisir on Diwali in October 1745 and arranged themselves into 25, groups of about 100 persons each. The organization of the Sikhs into regular bands to engage in guerra warfare was mos suited to meet their needs given their existing circumstances. These groups later on led to the establishment of a regular army called the Dal Khalsa" These groups raided hostile villages and killed those Muslims and Hindus who were responsible for the killing of innocent Sikhs. One such dating pany raided a part of Lahore, the state capital, im the dead of a cold January night, looted the shops and houses, and killed those responsible for Killing Sikh captives The Sikhs received a severe beating from Lakhpat Rat and Yahiya Khan in June 1746, But the civil war between Zakariya Khan's sons took away the heat from them and once again they stated visting Amrisar After celebrating Balsskhi in April 1747 at this cy, they decided to bulid a fort at Amritsar which was named Ram Rauni (Gods Sheltes, this new setilement could accommodate about 500 persons Nadir Shah was klled in June 1747 andl his place was taken by Ahmad Shah Abdal. The Sikhs who were now beter organized found a leader in Jassa Singh Abluwvalia who combined all these bands into a wellorganized army called the Dal Khasi. The smaller groups were leagued together into a dozen divisions which later on came to be known as mish, each placed under a particular Sardar. The’ Dal Khalsa was organized on the principle that the miliary system of the Siks was not established by a king or a chief. The Sikh sardars didnot create and endow their followings, but were instead created and endowed by them, In fact, they were elected by their soldiers The Foundation of the Dal Khalsa was A sep of great siguicance in Sikh history because it united them once again Into @ compact body for the third time. The fist time was when the amy Was erie by Guru Gobind Singh in 1704, the second time was by Banda Bahadur Im 1710,"and this third creation of the Dal Khalsa enduted for most half Mh: Mughal governmen,reticng the sous danger posed bythe Ahan Bite popay called Mr Manns, asthe governor othe Pan Apel Toa Bessie wis haa been Iying low go an cpporunty to vette seas the Hepat forces in 174, ducing the second lnvatien ef Ahad Sha balay Hiodtahove anc toted pu ofthe iy Sulu Mule reacted by. Begone, Bieperscuton tne ss lunad Shah Aba gan invaded inca a Degen, BIB ao se presure on the Sikhs was coment eas. Must Mult hea Alone sgtinst Ahad Shah Abdali without help tom the emperor Afra Sf fou sons, nulMak surendeed 0 Avia Sia Ahmad Sah BEE the Punjab and appointed Musvuttk as his governor” Buen ne HOF about six months, the Sikhs laid wast ms to most of the Bari Doab and the ar Boab,s2 sit comace jew, the bolder they became. Having become free . again started putting pressure on the Mir Manns sad dat ‘Asin Mr Manin de 808 Fwom foson sun wade, fs eats dune bow.” (ir Mann i our sele and we are his grass ade. {Rs he cts us we grow hundrelld) 1758 about 30,000 Sikhs lost their ives ut Besween March 1752 andl Novembe rm sv ee ad on or Sag en Meteo She rh of ar ome ee tinh on te tt ent ete siofull, vitual anarchy reigned for the next three oft had Sha Abs oor invasion i Nove deo muh damage the Sth de oan Cura of col sao td wo rash back He faced Deh and cared oUt 2 sama areca cand on Ho rum ure annexed ind Aa Sh Te sander of Fatal accepted Abad Sh 7 ia but tie mar was patched up wih th grey tee Po sale Sk, howoret, bed te passe mrt i ther oy om Deh at Sonam and ted Il hel Se er cd aha Sats oops Mae ane several ies Deweet 7 iD he Chenab river Ahmad Skah atacked Amritsar, pulled down. Dat an ie ane wth refuse and di” The contest with Abad Sal temple, and Fact Mremiy to the Sk. Tine and again the holy tele sed dow and pollted and gle dom oan Even. fen, te Ss rose wth uta firing every opportunity, an ae asion in November 1756-Apsil 1757 eid. not ‘ofa cholera epidemic in his sth ed tee pescton all re eee seated ‘vigour, heroically mel ultimately emerged tiumphant in thelt inst one of the mightiest rulers of the age ME COMAGE OF THE MSL PERIOD so 99 3 From late 1757 10 early 1761, Le. the next invasion of Ahmad Shah, the Sikhs increased their hold over 1 and further stabilized their ral system. The Sikh mis became well established and mudforss were raised all lover the Punjab for thelr defense. The dispute between Jahan Khan, governor of lahore, and Adina Beg, governor of Jullandhar, in addition to ‘the Maratha invasion of the Punjab, gave the Sikhs the opportunity t0 rad and loot Lahore again and again, Taimor Khan and Jahan Khan left witout a fight and their baggage and propeny were loosed by the Sikhs and the Marathas. The Afghan soldiers were taken prisoners in chains by the Sikhs and employed to clean the desecrated temple at Amritsar. Ahmad Shah Abdall defeated the Marathas at Panipat in January 1761, which led tothe breaking up of the Maratha confederacy The Sikhs greatly harassed Ahmad Shah as he was returning with the loot from Delhi and the Doab. They released a number of captive women and children st the ferry of Goindwal and sent them to their homes. After following Ahmad Shah upto the Indus, the Sikhs reumed to the Punjab, defeated Mirea Khan ff Char Mahal, defeated Nurud-din sent by Ahmad Shah at Sialkot, defeated Khawaja Abed Khan at Gujranwala, and attacked and occupied Lahore fora short Ahmad Shah's sith invasion was in January 1762, primarily against the Sikhs, He made a surprise move and had a straight fight with the Sikhs at Kupp Giardia), in which about 20,000 Sikhs lost their lives. This is called "Wada Ghalu Ghara, the bloody carnage. Ahmad Shah destroyed the sikh temple at Amitsar and razed it to the ground with ammunivon, When the Sikhs recovered fiom the great shock, they treated the defeat as ifthe alloy had been removed and only the pure Khalsa remained to carry on the work of their Gurus.” In May 1762, when Ahmad Shah was camped at Kalanaus, the Sikhs attacked Zain Khan Fauidar of Sitvind, and defeated hitn. The Dal Khalsa under Jassa Singh Ahhiwali Inyaded the towns and villages of jolandhar which were hose to the Sikhs, And allthis greatly troubled Ahmad Shah. The Sikhs marched towards Amer in October 1762 and engaged Ahmad Shab in another batle, Ahmad Shah who was mping at Lahore marched to Amritsar to face the Sikhs. A fierce battle took Place on 17 Occober between the two armies and Ahmad Shah escaped back to Tathore under cover of darkness. He left for Afghanistan in December 1762 and Was harassed by the Sikhs on his way back home, After the departure of Ahmad Shab, the Sikhs emerged from thele hideous, ie, and places of safety and vinwally occupied the entite Punjab. They Kasur stronghold of the Afghans, in May 1763, Jahan Khan, the Afghan inder of the Durrani forces, was defeated and killed in November 1763, Kotla was laid waste in December 1763. The Sikhs attacked Sithind in 1764, defeated and killed Zain Khan, and looted and desvoyed the city divided tahore and forced Kabuli Mal to pay tbute. In March 1764, they MURed Rohtas and made Sarbuland Khan, governor of Kashmlt, a prisoner: The« surounding 19s en s : Najib-ud-daula paid eleven lakh rupees a5 ie Bhangl plundered Miltan and other towns sikds crossed the Yamun Of present-day westem Uttar Pra 1 Singh Bhangi pl hhush money {© the Sikhs, Hari Sing! : need 0th th invasion in December 1764, and advas ese 165. He destroyed the holy temple and t1¢ on Asa rr Lore in January 1765, 1 deasoved te hw SS ea conl othe Sis. Ab May 1768 Ahmad Shah's eighth and nin ee The Sikhs Were 50 drunk. wit enna ras that se, hey mere deine 0 ule thelr own es in thet own land Gobind Singh shortly before his demise. They di ‘a sacrifice of over 2,00,000 Sikh lives) aiesaned Sis cosed the Ind he eighteenth century had thus bee i ” en Gurus, a period of great struggle wnd devotion 10 the wor! of thei Seaved to fuel their resistance and fo stengthen thelr resolve os Sikh Co The Most Controversial Si singh Ahluwalia in zen stick in the name of Jsst Sing! a 73 1761 has been the most controversial Sikh ‘a pease coming. The controversy regarding, thi 10 such coin 3 actually. forth ‘onorey sang i erat el ae a as amo on Sys et rma whe we rt ot acy as ad aco because Soy ale very historian of tp by almost every lies sa. 18) “ts from sacking the town. THES Sikhs in the eighteenth century, the period during which thi have been stuck Ahmad Shah, after defeating the Marathas in the Third Bate of Panipat in anwary 1761, deparced for Afghanistan in May 1761, leaving behind Khawaja (Obed Khan as the governor of lahore and Zain Khan as the governor of Sichind. Immediately after Ahmad Shah's deparure, the Sikhs started Occupying the areas which were under the Afghan govemors, Mirza Khan, in-che © of Char Mahal ‘came out to fight the Sikh forces but was defeated and killed Bikram Khan of Malerkotla was defeated and the town sacked. On receiving this dlscurbing news, Ahmad Shah sent a trusted general, Nurudin, with a welltraned force to chastise the Sikhs, but he was defeated at Sialkot by Charat Singh; Nur-ud-din fled, leaving his army at the mercy of the Sikh forces. Khawaja Obed Khan invaded Gujranwala in September 1761 and laid siege to the for. Inthe meantime ther sardars came to the help of Charat Singh and they in turn besieged Obed Khan, Obed Khan beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind huge quantities of arms and ammunition, camels, horses, and other camp equipment which the Sikhs aimed. Thus, in a shor span of about four months, the Sikhs had subdued all the-Afghan chiefs set up by Ahmad Shah and practically the entire Punjab came under their control In October 1761 the Sikhs assembled at Amritsar to celebrate Diwali. They eld a meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa and passed a gurmata to punish Aqil Das of Jandiala, who belonged to the Niapjani sec, and who was a persistent enemy of the Sikhs and a steadfas fiend of the Duranis; the assembly also voted {0 Geeupy Lahore and establish Sikh supremacy all over the Punjab™ The Sikhs arched to Lahore under the leadership of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and laid siege to the ity. Obed Khan, the governor, shut himself in the for and would not face the Sikh forces. He was later kiled in a skirmish with the Sikhs. The leeding Gizens, appreciating the delicate situation created by the weakness of the Bovernor, negctiated with the Sikh commander, they then opened the city gates HBithe Sikh forces, cus saving Lahore from sack and plunder. The jubilant Sikh Forces entered Lahore and ate sald to have occupied the royal mint and are Alleged to have strck 4 coin in the name of their leader: Sia ad dar fbn boas Aba Mult. Abmad grit jasa Kall Bestning tha the coin is suck in the world by the grace of Akal, the God, the Pini oF Atimad held by Jassa Kalal OF all those who claim thatthe coin was E none acwally provides any deals regarding the legend on the reverse, BARE of the mint, and the year of iis origin, which are essential features ishing the authensicity of any coin. Besides the question of the actual SF this coin, the date of is striking i also disputed. James Browne at the Silths expelled Timur Shah and Jahan Khan ftom Lahore,heir leader Jassa Singh f-Nanale which he erkotia* whom he met n 1782-5: A number of ‘cunningham, Lat ne made by James Browns in In the same of ce his account on the Bi 1b Ajib Singh of Mal Mughal cour from Malcolm, Eiphinstone occupied the Shtawala In 1738 Som Budh Singh Aro 28 a3 during his stay a0 rans, inclding 1. C3 Nana? base thee These choles do n0t BY they made any St hiorin of the versed out 10 Adena Beg DY i ‘and that the Sikhs coul ‘Hert Ram upg Sern any new or cotempory ihe sikh miss, states that in te Narathas for an annua 1758 the Punjab Tribute of seventy petrol of the sate Five lak rupees Capial, Lahore. Hai Ra TOL! In November 1760, fing 2 nazarana of 30,000 10 THe primarily bases his infere sae bs ivaded Lahore but lft att re Tahore, captured the capital a as cna ht hss at Abad Sth fe Sek, massing aboot 25, see py sown a ae the aleped aking pot accept the above ev the past few yed of striking the co fs 1761, and not 175 conceming the date of ‘The real issue is sates that in 1 Shah from the cy ventured to stake rupees finan empleo Ne his owe name But ale Grand Diet of the Si and the Subah of Lahore, on for filteen years, the recall all hase rupees a ‘athe gurmata determined £9 a ave ih nes of Guru Nanak and Gure Gob ‘of these. coins In his pos resumption thatthe * that the Grand Di he bad sever tire Browne's Pr ‘econ his satement eiaton for fit eh delle in 1765 (0 0 symbol of thelr rated by Brown me which are nes bn er ‘coin was struck in 1758 et withdrew it after it oned by any oth spy lahore and st ‘sovereignty. Had this ne, woul cently sot forthcoming, in the fous doubss about i) fe by all hola Rewer ike a coin if the: Sikh common fame of their CUS 98 Tieton for seven Yet adverse, comments fis lace of evid that in the prevailing cecumsances only a small number of coins would have been struck The occupation of Lahore by the Sikhs in 1758 was for a very short spell and that to0 was done along with the Marithas, Browne's statement that several of these coins were in his possession evokes our skepticism, Even if we believe that he did secure several of these coins in 1783-5 from Delhi, at a time when the hobby of coin collecing as such had not become prevalent in India e was immediately thereafter recalled and retumed to England. It is Ukely that he would not have given away these coins and i s possible that some of them might have been acquired as part of the collections of some museums; but no such coin has been located anywhere in the world, Browne's account i at best IY speculative, without any authentic evidence in its suppor. Banda Bahadur struck Sih coins in small numbers during 1710-12 while he was at war and the State administration was stil inks infancy, yet a few coins have been the case of the coins struck in 1758 by Jassa singh, if these were in circulation teen years, some of these should certainly have been texced, Hari Ram Gupta emphatically asses that coins were scuele by Jassa Singh Anluvalia in 1761 in Bt of embuslasm andl delight the Sikhs ule the wishes of thee revered leader he ine Nawab Kapur Singh by declaring Jas Singh Ahlowala 3s Padshah, then sting the yal fie they sruck the second Sikh aupee. In the heat of passion of having ataied this gor fice te hardest stroggle for more than half a century, bubbling over with thet socees are flushed with the pide of victory, thy let them pase beyond the bounds of resons an thus they ported the vitor who had led them from one cenquest to another for abouts dozen There is of course the contemporary account of the Khazana.t.Amira which does lend some support to his assertion. Hari Ram Gupta’s explanation, however, takes recourse to stong emotions rather than t hard evidence, His reference 10 the wishes ofthe late Nawab Kapur Singh isnot relevant t0 the issue and cannot Be apart of the evidence. His assertion thatthe decision to stike the coin was fie 10 momentary jubilation undermines the authority behind the issuing of the fon; indeed, he himself deems itt be agains the Sikh ethos and the principe sovereignty belonged to the Khslst and not to any single individwal. He Teks homs with NK. Sinha in a rather unpleasant debate. Sinha denies that Bich anevent ever occurred Hani Ram Gupta writes, ‘The Sikhs seem to doubt the siking ofthese coins, Peeruse no sikh writer except Gian Singh has mentioned this fact i his work,” Hie thetesfer construcs half a dozen imaginary Sikh doubss and then tees 10 Metals them swith his arguments” This atempt at fst raising sterwmen and Pushing them down is rather unchartable on his par. There cannot be a Bi ew and a Hindu view on this issue of history. Certain S BS. Bal and GS. Chhabra also share Hari Ram Gupta's views No further kh historians suchdoes not contibete 1 van Ram Gupta's doubts is necessary since eo sock coin fas a yet bee [oad t contemporsy fron us sources has proved to be it eee tare op statement stands disproved.” A newswriter of the pee Yad se Sue Ban Huh ad ited & ana, ham zabiro am bat a “uy op Sacha Sabi Nona is bt patent and latent and the tue Lor Rims is ea earl and the tempor words) the king of both ager by Manaza Huss gat-ul-Agalin®™ ain sate attends Bae th the above legend, whereas the fer sa , few coins of Banda Bahadur that have been located tegen pon to esa the striking of the coin by Jassa Singh anc rena e given credibility beyon = i ‘Gupta from 1980 onwards, buth at a Te g our discussions of Sikh history had examined. Eollecion was the first that he ocal gazis and) Ste hea in Char Bagh--Purjabl sates tat the local ds es en tJ Singh nel Baas ate any onsnoa no is and accu ae ns fer ed eat isan new con to the debate. Khushwagl cing te fat in Ki rarikb-i-Punjal® states that this coin wa sn Ts sat too is not supported by contemporary evideaS ee latin--Afgbana,* written in 1835, stat the. ie i te ean nother coin in the name of their Gurus. There is also no evidence that the coin was resruck in the succeeding years afer is Inia issue. Ahmad Yadgar has not cited any contemporary evidence in suppor of his allegation, The accounts of Khushovaqt Rai and Ahmad Yadgar suffer from the sime weakness a5 that of Browne's narrative regarding the withdrawal of the coin by the Sikh authorties Ganda Singh, another noted historian of the Sikhs, has writen a detalle biography of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia,” but has ot paid any vention t@ the controversy regarding this coin. He dismisses the debate as not deserving any further discussion in view of the disiactination of the Sikhs regarding the use of that these coins must have been struck in very small numbers He further sates that the ta of Kapurthale did ‘ot possess any such coin, nor could he contact anyone who had seen this coin The matter was taken up with the present head of the house of Kapurthal, Brigadier Sukhjit Singh, who stated in 1980 that “with regard to the ‘coins purported 10 have been struck by Baba Jassa Singh there was, to the best of my Enowledge, one such coin in the former Kapurthala treasuty'* Since this coin Is ro longer traceable, this raises doubts about Grifi's assertion and hence does fot lead us any nearer to a solution However, there is one other possible explanation which no historian has onsidered! so far. tn late 1761, the Sikhs had besiege lahore city and the governor had locked himself in’ che for, since th re were no opposing forces, the fill of the ety to the Sikhs was imminent. Keeping in view the impending Sick ofthe cy andthe threat of plunder by the conquerors the lading asses begin aeattions withthe Sikh commander and opened the iy gates tthe Sith forces. ths saving the ciy fom ruinaton tn November 1760 sls, abou 1000 Sikhs besigod Lahore ety and Mir Nohara, the governor, shut himself inthe for. The Sh had cot of all Bens of communication and were going to break the ciy wall. Facing the mine fl ofthe cy and is sick by the Sikhs, the leading chtens persed the governor to pay 30,000 rupees ftom the sate revenues to the Sk for Karah prsbad aod this persed the Sith forces to whew Is probable Blak ash nazranas were pa! othe vicorous Sikh amy in accordance with the Bering practice. 15 Our presimption thatthe leading chiens might have Bick sall numberof cons, may be 21 coins as avoken oftheir pattude and Baceeptance ofthe suzeany of the great Sith commander over Lahore. The Biber 21 doesnot seem to have any special signieance. The legend tei ft Sferiy to the exinng Mughal and Afghan legends on the especive olan, the use of half names was a common pracice. The alleged couplet Alsesvon seems toe the work of some Muga mint master and was, Sbprpsae to the occasion, an ts being in violation of Sikh teins ma Have been known tthe mint oficial Jase Singh ay have accepted the bd ge em broken down ltr on In a sitar cise, Stan Muhammadrt the cy who ‘serious resistance and parcelled the Sa hay 165, 1822 Sambat. Thus was publicly proclaimed the esta — available with collectors Akal Takht in April 1765 pasted the the Akal Takht in AP te The Bhangs chiefs, Le cant in Nay ‘ at oe ad, Although Sikh coins were a b oa for regular use really mucus nina and abv ted various museums 1 ni ; soda Baadur an ap 17H and a widely debated aoe af Jas. Singh Anluwala, yet the Sikh commenced with te om OMe cin was the sane one selected ty Banda Mie egend sleced forthe coin ene sled Had and is found enbose ne a panda Bahar time i preserved at the der of Bab So aie ‘Tm on the seal is the same as on the Bande Dahadir Mi Tao reverse sid, the Skis tok the existing fal coins issued from the Lahoee mint Bahadur for the state seal in aD 1 Tehend found on the reverse of the Mu ae and economic power in the ‘Deg (he cooking po represents food, prosperiy, and economic power Pa sea Ce en a ee es he ak ‘arms with the resultant victory te Fal mci th Baidarang es a a colr ts means he fod andthe ams wth the rest To an aelueved ith te spontaneous Rep receved om, Gur. Nan ae Shin Singh. The reverse means: min stn i ees St eon het @ non clit Rats have Joeated the east such coin for the year 18 Spe eave con wealebe from Arar petlns 0 OG I ta Heme 3) Samba The legend on the coln i that oe Seid iva coins during ab 1710 to 1712 andi runs a8 ated Gobind Songo Shab-+-Shan Fazal, Sacbeba Sab Ast. The meaning of the obverse legend is explained in detail in Chapter 1. The meaning of the reverse legend is: ‘minted at Amritsar foo (he chy which was held in great reverence). The words Jalus Tak Adal Babb mean the reigh of the Akal Takht, and ‘maiminat mancas’ auspicious and prosperous, whereas on the reverse of the Labore coia, the Sikhs copied the legend from the Mughal coins. On Amritsar coin, the Sikhs called i the reign of the Akal Tak, from which Guru Hargobind launched his temporal authorty The first couplet was used regularly and appears on the majoriy of che availble Sikh coins, the second couplet was used on the inal thereafter on the coins from Amrisar and on some coins from the L Multan mins (See Plate 10, The couplet ‘Degh Teg Fateb’ on the Sikh interpretations; it has also been treated a8 a mere P Gurus... Cunningham, Muhammad Latif, G pins has been given various sian couplet in pase of the Narung, GL. Chopra, JS. Grewal, And s few other historians are incorrect in translating ‘Degh’ as ‘Grace They are also wrong in testing "Yaft uz Nanak Guru Gobind Singh’ as ‘received by Gurs Gobind Singh from Guru Nanak’ The comect meaning is ‘teceived from G Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh’ Cunningham is also wrong in > the mini and piri’ of Guru Hargobind!” H.R. Gupta he Silarty between ‘Depo Tegh Fateh’ and the Hind holy tinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva It appears that historians have not given due attention to these couplets and thus have not appreciated the true meaning and spire of thi fouplet. Their assumptions, besides being incorrect, also a OF Sikh sovereignty The concept of “Dagl Tegh! 5 teachings of emmunity service and self-reliance, meaning that the nonacceptance of tyranny Bas o be resisted later on with the help of the sword against the sword. The Bis Mpeds—servce 10 the community and resistance 1 injustice and Granny An increasingly visible form with the increase in the number of Sikh Hesoices and the increased tyranny of the rulers of the Punjab, The execution of Ski Guus, and. other forms, of persecution of the Sikhs only se Pen and strengthen th fed t0 concept, which became an integral part of the Sikh fad culture. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Gur, filly insttutionalized and lized this principle. He states in the Krishan dvtar. ‘Degh Teg Jag me halen, Rat to Ap mobe, awar na dalen, meaning that ‘My free conimunity Banc! my sword should prevail supreme in the whole world. Grant me BFekection and none else will be able to trample upon me-"” He carried OutRDS. PLATE II: EARLY COINS, 1765 ONWAT LAHORE COIN 1822 SAMBAT Taree AMRITSAR COIN 1832 SAMBAT star ACAL BARE vest: An 6A AUETEAR JE SAMBAT 1882 MAMINAT MANUS AL FIGURE I: JASSA SINGH AHLUWALIA6 st come and weapons He abode yarn, cure cobind Sigh ceed "Degh Tagh Fateh appeaes OP gh, wo the Sikhs after she setled down in ae aee and the Patiala State on its nasrana coins sive P EME Jnion of India in 1948, coinage and 2 cl the accession of these sates tothe Union ofl re Barly tabore Coin, Inconel Eat the Gobind Sabi Cons ——— Se ea ¢ re second half of the eghteenth old over aot the , Wlers and pushing back the Afghan The Si Sghteca cena, but dozing ts Sure, Pan ‘afer clefeating the Mughal rv abd hing es te invaders beyond the Prd ce Pn and ihe surouning eit anit Sings the Se res, and Detapts,fx all a conuy: Even fash iy ened the Sikhs with estan. and spect Se aaorten India ithe ghee Under the monet) Se currencies such as those of the Mua and nineteenth centurs, Tales, the Bish, and other Buropean Sees Ta eral wet out er The Shh carency was Ft ata 4 in ap 1710-12 when the first Sikh state was formes ne ive 45 TIO Sando Banda Bahadur ®™ Thecar,tNe SMG Se lt ah ee ce Saeed Lahore in ap 1765 (182 Operative. There Cheultion, The revenues and ules then in power and these were repul ag areas, and S ‘Eaapap and wards ras issued regularly from from Amster 40 1775 (1832 Sambat) and onwards By 1800 Ranjt Singh came to power and within a decade he hid consolidated te Sikh emotes, ino a swong Sikh state. With the esablishment of poiical stably and under the leadership ofa capable ruler, tade and commerce prospered ard ineeased. This Ie 0 the Increased minting of Sh coins "Thanks to the sca i er st maintenance meal ding Sikh rule, Sikh comage Became the, premier orrene in norh-estern tnd, The Sikh state-was annexed tothe Dit Ian The annexation ofthe Sikh sate was deemed an ac of naked agwandizement by the Bish ls adminisraion was controled and guided by the Brish Resident frm 1846 10 149 andthe child ruler Dalip Singh was ther ward. TO sty the annexation, a spate of ioral accounts onthe Sikhs mas brought ou by Ewopean writers many by Bash adminisetors in India and thet Indian Ocesional references to. Sih coins, primary based on fazwar gostp and feusay rather than being bused on any hisorial analysis, However, econ 4 mater of fit by later hstorans. One suc flac concerns the nomenclature ofthe Sih coin, a Gobind Shahi and Nance Shahi, without any critical examination of the historical accounts or any proper Rulers the world over have struck hich have often been repeated a coins 28 4 symbol of their sovereign ower over the terstores under their control and the people over whom they. Fale. These coins generally bear the name of the ruler, the place and year of reatnese of the ruler or pothaps practice in the Indian subcontinent Mining, and some legend procaiming the Feligious invocation. This was also the existin The Sikh coinage which came Into existence in the eighteenth century had a ince feaure. The Sikh religious wadtions exereise a tremendous inh Bier the entie ie of ence Sik, v2, the religous socal and pola specs ofan Bidals fe are 10 be based on cenaln moral values enunciaied fy the hol Bre. Gor God Sing, soy tore his dene, ols the non the poison Grusip and vested the spi aspect of his soverelgty th Gren, hreaer calle the Guru Granth subi, an the tempor sovercigny Fis Guradom in the entre Sikh commaniy.” These two fundamental aspects Bite Sh, vay of hfe or the Sikh ethos are enshrined inthe prayer, which all Bb ects every day, and n fac on every ceca before they ake an Sik communty and notin any one Sikh. Tis was an careme form ef 2 BDAC insti inthe feudal world ofthe cay eightcenth century. Ths (of the Sikh traction has been aptly described by Muay as ‘Lahore and Sikh dominion. nee oethe Sikhs selected two couplets for their coins and their seal in 1710, noth the vod, herein and heater under the a econ hind Sng, lng oF Rings, Hs e ante of Gura Nanak’ sword. The voy of ih the grace ofthe ru Lod, die Akal Pura parm z sty, (Tegh) the strength of the sword arm, fate smthout restraint of ‘spontaneously’ received from Nanak (0 Gur G if je the obverse of the coins, denote the basic of ‘as an elaboration of the the, Harimandir and dliferent places, viz Deg Teh Ft 352 va eegobind, the sixth mast Nal Takht respectively. Rant a ‘Garus and deemed ther to be the te eT ese legends are sina 0 ie nese put with slight mofiations, Most EATopea given on the Brivo indan hisorans have Incoecty intepete the i ta sae Guns Gobind Singh 6 “Ce aN with Sikh traditions: Singh called himself the e sovereigns. In the per twsed on the obverse o zs id the tenth Masters Diy she cin Path Some Gobind Singh recewed from 6 fades al the ten Gurus were the fone ideology, and the phrase cond Both legends speak of the frst ail the ten Gurus 10 ye correc translation. Labia pene ‘2 rupee coin with the legend ‘Degh Tegh Fatelly 2 He has no, however, ai laning why it was called the "Gobind Shab ws inconect as he siesta a eat escoed tne ofthe couple incovect ase sic be di "was received by Guru Gobind Singh from Guru Nena eed e Sikhs from their Gurus. emeairion was recelved by the Si a ae ail Spook Rajas of Pur sates that afr the occa ee 1765 the Sikhs struck the first national coin with th the yas aio! the Gobind Sabi rpee aay reason of evidence ¢xpl Lahore, the capital Tegh legend and it was called the Nanak Shahi coinage."® He explains in a footnote that it was sometimes called Nanaki or Nanale Shahi and was current at the time of his writing his book He disagrees with Colonel Sleeman and (Cunningham over the transition of Dagh but makes the same mistake in translating the second line as was made by Cunningham, (GJ. Rodgers in his article on Sikh coins sates that at this time (aD 1765/182: sambai) they struck, in Lahore, the politcal eaptal of the Puniab, the first Sikh rupee. They were called Gobind Shahi and not Nanak Shahi’ as stated by Grilfin He has not given any reason of evidence explaining the grounds for his disagreement with Grifin. He cls the Amritsar rupees struck at Amritsar from 1835 Sambat and onward as Nanak Shahi because these contain the words Shah Nanak’. The Persian rendering of the legend on the coins is, however, incorec, as Is the translation of the second line ofthe ‘Degh Tegh Fate’ legend. Rodgers seems to have based his historical analysis on the stories and gossip he callected from the shopkeepers, money changers, and petty bankers inthe hazaars of Amritsar and some osher towns of the Punjab and not from any actual historical records." (Gj. Brown in his book Goins of dndia sates thatthe Sikhs suck the Gobind Sta rupees from Lahore in 1763 onward and the Nanak Shahi rupees from Amfitsar in 1777 with a diferent legend.% Brown does not explain the legends bur sates that they were called Gobind Shahi because the name of Guru Gobind Singh was included in the Persian couplet which formed the inscription. His explanation, although the only explanation given by a historian/mumismatist, is incorrectas the names of both Gur Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh occur on Very Sikh silver coin hearing either of the two legends Gulshan 1all Chopra in his book The Punjab as a Sovereign State gives a AGLOURL'OF Sikh coins stated to be based on historical data and his persona amination of the coins with the Briish Museum, London and the Goverment Musein Lahore. He writes Gains were struck for the second tine in Sambat 1822 (ao 1765) after the Sikh conquest of Tahoe in that year. These were called ‘Gobind Sha and not ‘Nanak Shah’ a8 stated by Gif The coins suck from Amrisar in Sambat 1835 and onward are sated fo be called Fil Sich 1s wansaon ofthe couplet als incoret as inthe case ofthe others Ghopra appears to have simpy taken Rodgerss statement without acknow Betking t nor giving any evidence in suppon of his contention His claim 1s staily acc based on any historical anaiysis or numismatc investigation. Hart Gupia in is book History ofthe Sits writes: “They stuck In Lahore a Sikh Bich came to be called “Gobind Shahi" and not ‘Nanak Shahi” as sated iia" This aserion too has apparently been tiken from Rodgers without Hacknowiedgcment, and nor has Hari Ram Gupta. given any reason oF In.support of his belle Hani Ram Gupta has, however, corel: set oO jaermerers. ” sp he mn oe ge fo i Wl Ge Sgr is co eas od et 175 csc in ate He ta the ‘Deg Teh Fa eae is book, Crs of Dal Koala and Lahore obviously incor pe fst couplet x generally known as Gobiod Shah and Dara ee Si, bt no where Goss he explain the re choke of thes a his book Le and Ties of Rar Singh sates ht Sikh s af ng er struck a coin with the ‘Deg reg! Adee) Fated’ as the Gobind Shahi." None of these historians hes @ aa tara ‘petween the Gobind Shahi soins 3 1B suppor of hi ie Pe contradicted each other In catacterising cenain co ctareod hy hg epg car ea and i oc cep ss ivi ances Sas iw mg ey ot ea Ma See ee i pom an mm Nanak Shahi andl Gobind Shai coins Peet prompted the merchants to call them Nanak tn Sa Tae ak ee) Fuel legend as ‘Nanak Shah. No explanation whateoe Sighs coin eed the being smaller i size, dO n0e ‘confusion. The only just TE COMAGE OF THE ASL PERIOD sn 71799 1 CJ. Brown, who writes that dese coins are called Gobind Shahi because Guru Gobind Singh's name appears on these coins. Brown does not seem to, have ‘aired out a proper examination of the Sikh coins, as both the names of Guru Nanale and Guru Gobind Singh appear in both the legends on the sikh coins, 2s explained 1d are fairy visible on almost all Sith coins. Hence, on this basis alone, no distinction ean be made between Gobind Shahi coins and Nanak Shai coins, ‘The givers of the benediction are Guns Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, ie the entice lineage of the Sikh Gurus, and the recipients of thei blessings are the ‘entire Khalsa Panth and the Sih community. In the Holy Granth, the Gurus afer Guru Nanak appear as the nine incarnations of Guru Nanak and call themselves Nanak. Hence, the benediction given is from all of the Nanaks, and the Sikh coins ean only be called ‘Nanak Shahi’ and cannot be characterized by the name of any other Gury, including Guru Gobind Singh, unless the legend on the coin exclusively bears the name of Guni Gobind Singh. No such coin has come to light so far. The gold and silver coins were stuck by the state authorities, while the copper coins were struck by various trders and merchants who paid annual fees t0 the state government. The legends on the copper coins sere in the name of the Gurus but these seem to have been simplied for easy die making and for siking coins of smaller size. Mos of these legends on the copper coins are the ‘Akel Sahat, “Guns Nanak Jee’, and even ‘Nanak Shahi. Thus, the use of Gun Nanak’s name primarily on ‘copper coins, which appeared much later in time after the gold and silver coins, supports aur contention that Sikh coins were ak Shahi coins, The accounts of the British govemment after the annexation ff the Sikh state descnbe the Sikh coinage as ‘Nanak Shahi" cninage, which frher suppons the above-mentioned view. Hence (0 classify Sikh coins beating the ‘Degh Tegh Fate legend as Gobind Shahi coins isan enti mientand deserves outright zeection as i is also in contravention of the Sikh faadtions and the sikh ethos. The Sikh coinage sinick in the name of the Sikh Gurus:can thus only be called Nanak Shahi and should not be characterized by Bny-other name. One may assume that the second distortion in iy incorect state nomenclature GF Sikh coins occurred due to the fist distorion in interpreting the meaning of fhe legend, which has not been contradicted by later historians who brought out PProlierition of sikb coinage after 1783 My Ociober 1783, the Sikhs lox one of tele great leader, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Who had guided the Sikh forces for almost 35 years." Jassa Singh belonged: Hs se of Kalals, the disilles of alcohol. Denzil Ibbetson observes that the PPBla ace.cenowned for theie enterprise, energy, and obstinancy, ‘Death may j buts Kalal won.” after his lather Badar Singh died in 1722, hisjon of Singh were placed under the preton of ste aescaro lad lee 1 at estar Sigh and wan ped unde il widowed mother and the child} as Sundar the acting head oh Mace ata Sundari and took 2 liking (0 f ssa Singh was administered pabul oe IR fee of hs oc og St* Bg Sg ied nd space was akon by ass, Sing whe Nene sewed tary commander The Dal Kass aan Pipa and Kapur Singh appotted Jas Singh as th ind assembly." Sere ‘most to his knees, He had held the flercely inci eae seve aggregate of invidual sada ance eer he Kain cry a ere gegen sada iene He writes that it was Jassa Singh gt of te hab aa aed Sth coin om ‘Sa tis mining of te cam, however, was ot confine Lar Snr eased bis jit in the area under hs cool" The sani of the sovereignty of the Khalsa marked at as ae fire peter sf us. Bach new ruler established his andar’ sovereign Sats. T discretion ™ al rh the Punjab in 1831 describes Amritsar and ear oo ‘bankers with their large had houses in te ity whieh bate and kept the other Independent 10 the cause of Sikh uni ries became feature who were politically active Mnedars who declared the save ir quemont who 3 nd cach of these quar ORI che al canbe seen sound cach of ese, al oe en a own ner ten, udcion a goverment, bt el ae Fitna ae no longer und ‘authorities. It confirms that each sions ar no ne a Sporn fie hy where hee subal exerci I cor people in his aren were under Hs proton for whic = in his area, TH ered taxes fo the businesne Te ee ral ee mation of a number of independent por tog ey Ai fdperie sardar, Bat is Sate fas emerae THE COMAGE OF THE MS. PEMD a» 165.198 2 during the eighteenth century, and with the coming of Ranjt Singh to power the independent portions were taken over and Amritsar b > 1810, Numismatic investigations show thatthe minting of Sikh coins began from the Lahore mint in ap 1765/1822 Sambat and was regularly continved tll an 1649, 1906 Sambat. The coins from this period are avallible!™ The minting of siko coins from Amritsar is considered to have begun in ap 1775/1832 Samba as the ‘Amritsar coin of 1852 has been located and its mining continued theretigs Earlier catalogues show thatthe fist coin from Amritsar was dated a 1798/1838 Sambat as by then the earliest coin located was dated 1835 Sombat ond she series goes on till 1839 Sambat. Some new series staned from Amritsar, with the coins for an 1784/1841 Sambar being distinguishable due to theit ommemench anal symbole without any change in the legends on these coins, for Insance the series with a daguer on the reverse begin in. 16{1 Sami are Continued sill ao 1808/1865 Sambat™ Another series with slight changes commenced from ap 1784/1841 Sambat and continued til a» 1788/1844 Sumbat. Another series wit larger diss commensal from ao 1794 and continued tl ao 1827/1884. Samat me one city by about These series seems t0 Have been adopted by Ranjt Singh as he took over Amttsar in gradual stages tn der to avoid a direct confrontation with the sardars whose properticn we being taken over in the holy city. The process of the consolidation ef Amsisee ‘Continued til ap 1811, ic. some more series with distinctive marke commence in a9 1802/1859 Sambar and continued tl ap 1806/1863 Sambat. Sikh colns mere ho minted from Anandgsth, the name of the main for. in Anandpus, tree Ap 1764/1841 Sambat to ap 1788/1846 Sambat by the sandars who held say Over the Anandpur area. The Bhangi sardar, Jhanda Singh, occupied Malas fy AD 1779 and issued a Sikh coin dated a> 1772/1829 Sambat and this sereg Goatinved tl an 1778/1836 Sambat when Muttin was taken back fom the Sikhs hd was occupied by Timur Shah in February 1780.2 1s also possible that some series were minted by independent sardars and Hitt iiese have not been located because they were minted in very small Bmbers or because the dies were identical. A custom common in norihere aia Gian fects. The Patla ae rulers had specal cons minted for de ger Gee she purty as tenes placed before ihe ctl rth above accounts ts amply clear tate proeration of Sikh coins Hee RSP! scr the death of Jasa Sigh abluvali te longstanding ldo Iss, and hry aackened he ha $f he Dal ahs ee Bl serdars. This polferaion ofthe minting of Sikh cols secmied te haps Eis fo about a decade or so and with the rise of Ranft Singh aod te Bisson ote sich sate all hese separate ypes of minting cre ona co: ar and Lahore. These were the Lahore Darbar such 25 awn about 3 ere cenwaly mine st Ames aera swily acquired tert also minted at so eechawan and Dera The conclusions, ako ifoan, Rash, Peshawar, and Deh. The cone oy the proferaon of Scns fom TS JP av cing his peso ae i te pow in the following AaB 2 Sot et Ge Cons of te Ss, Nagpur: idan Coins S =o | as rp altace pe ind mada or sada the et en most of ese ane eS oft Gurus sth the prealet Ie oy be made in various series due to some minor oe eae ould be mad nt possible to ings the sda who 8 minted, there Deing 10 SCOR Ct rtas7 Samba the central poll authorty bat to aD 1800/1857 fen ‘eas weakened, the shuation was reverse > 1800 and his consolidation o kh Gurus over the Sikh state here was no weakening of iS ES ac as coins with the lecf motif. With, Sik eons ae eral reognized hy te eat mth ees if motif came to be inscribed on Sikh col erpred connie oe he ero aus acme and eed 7a seth Sk coin, Unfomunie, ta apecuiaive ature, ase) paral nc yume a we are abl f ny Ou hands Hence, ch remain open for fhe invest ce te of 1881 vaf along with the name: ee he ht me 1859 Sani ns He has aot be be eal 9 evden In numismatic cites, the passage of time t I fe reverse How and why he leaf mf came 10 > oe Nipponed by any exe Simian evidence. H Sine comerngorary records, 5 aie ape ee it ies Le 1802 an ty is opmbo. WH Valine sates that ae to ac mute sign or mask of the Sikhs BUC gv pial leat, 2 v0 SoPPOE t e ook Cols of India (1922) lai ook ion rope 40 SBIO/BS Sih er tl leat bt sou! any spp as that the charac 00/1857. Sama am Chandra Kak © THE COMAGE OF HE Mt PERIOD wo 6599 7 Madanjt Kaur notes that the leaf motif is the peepal leaf, @ traditional Indian symbol signifying the ctemal tee of life Saran Singh states that the peepel twee is considered holy by the Hindus and the Buddhists but not by the Sikhs, He ‘entifies i with the lotus flower, drawing suppor from the scriptures which state thit a truc believer of the Sikh religion is always steadfast as the lotus is in water RT. Somaiya, an expen on Indian tees, calls the ber or bert leat! WH. Valentine is very casual in his description of the peepal leaf as a favourite symbol or motif of the Sik, since he olfers 0 justification for this claim. CJ. Brown's argument that the leaf motif appeared for the first time in 1853 Sambat also seems to be incorrect as coins bearing much earlier dates with the leaf motf are available. Ram Chandra Kak’s explanation that it isa betel leaf ‘cannot be accepted without proper evidence, Likewise Madanjt Kaur’ assessment [is incorrect on two counts: fst, k was not introduced by Ranjt Singh, and second, there is no evidence in suppor of its being a betel leaf, Saran Singh's soning is also not acceptable as there does nt seem to be any link between the basis and the placement of the leaf on the coin at particular point of ime RT. Somiys's contention thatthe Sikh Gurus liked trees and hence it Is the Ber leat cannot be accepted without any evidence from contemporary records The introduction of the leaf motif on Sikh coins in 1783 and ks continuance and uniform appearance on every Sikh coin and from every Sikh mint thereafter seems to indicate that these developments must have been taken on the basis of some Important and collective decision of the Khalsa. Had this been the whim of Some odd sarddar, it would soon have ended and would not have been niformly and universally adopted, The leaf mouf'un Sikh coins 1 widely imsenbed on the Amritsar coin of 1845 Sambat, ie. a0 1788. Its quite likely that the leaf moclf fst appeared In the early 17405 but these coins have not been traced so far Thereafter, it Appeared universally on al Sih coins from all the Sikh mints until the annexation Of the Sikh state in 1849. Since no documented evidence in suppor of this Is Feadiy forhcoming it seems logical that some important event was responsible for the adoption of the leaf symbol. Further, the leaf symbol appeats on long Minning series. I can be said with reasonable certainty that the leaf mow! fst SPpeaced on the series which was produced by the main Sikh mint as it Eontinued to be minted from 1841 Sambat without any change. Rl, Somaiya states emphatically thatthe leaf motif on Sikh coins is the ber Iesf which as based on the actual ber tee in the parikrama of the Darbar Sb a Amisar popularly called the Dukb Bbanjani, Le. remover of somowsy Pamatia rejects the claim thatthe motif represents the peepal lea, which quite Bev scholars argue is the most logical explanation since the peepal trce is widely Piestipped as a holy cee by the Hindus.” Somaiya further argues that the ber IS Patt ofthe folklore of nother India. The ber tee grove was selected by Pd Nariana (Hindu gods) for thelr stay in the Himalayas. He contends that Sera symbol of the branch on the Moran Shahi coins i, in fac, a berbranch bearing the ber fruit. Somaiya's arguments cannot be accepted a8 proper aera antic Inestgation of even 38 historical analysis since they are not based fon any contemporary evidence vvround Til Samba/aD 1784 there was no serious political upheaval and he Sikh: mists were in posession of thelr lands and had even mace incursions tino the Gangetic plain for plunder or for levying the rabbi as ‘he station demanded." sTtimajor event of this period was the prolonged famine of 1733 popularly called the “cbatlsa’ famine. In 1781, 1782, and 1783 the monsoons completly fated in nonh India. The drought was most acute in 1783 and resulted in one of the severest famines, known as chalisa kal as it occurred in the Bikram! year 1840." The famine affected the whole of nonhem India but it was particularly Terere in the Punjab. Ponds, tanks, and wells went cry, Cattle perished by the thousands and many people died. According to a contemporary observes, Horharan Dass of Dell, thousands died in Delhi alone in five to six days. In veMtemastem Ponjab, the whole countryside was devastated" ‘There was 10 en in 1783 and the populace was decimated, peasants abandoned their villages, a thousands died from hunger ancl disease. The abandoned villages of Patiala aie taken over by the neighbouring sardars. The faminestrcken territory Wched! from Multan to Bengal and brovght untold misery to all Lving souls in Hissar distict, the helpless people died in their villages or perished from Inunger and exhaustion in attempting © move south and east, People escaping pene scrnes ced in Haryana in a vain endeavour 10 reach Delhi, Tales are told EPmarenis who devoured their children bt itis Hkely that the children were or eitcr some: measure of gain" The Hazira district was nearly depopulated Sette the famine, and grain was sold 3 10 4 seers per rupee n the Punjab wit Delhi the high prices were beyond the reach of the common people, wha also suffered from lack of employment. During the famine of 1783, most ofthe Sikh chiefs continued their lengary cof fee ding halls to feed the poor and the needy. Some of them spent all thei rey for this purpose. Describing a Sikh chief of Montgomery dati a rp room) tng famine of a> 1783 occurted in Budh Singh’ time, He is said 10, avg ead all his propery, and to have fed the people with grain from the proceeds Seohcn Singh Sekarchakia gave 100 grams of dried grain fo each person dally Regarding the Rawalpindl aes, Shahamat Ali states that before the COUN, Tl ceeerea by the Sikhs there was a great famine, from which I rapidly recover Cinder the good administration of Milkha Singh. The Sikhs, who had risen from 190! fo become rulers in ony a couple df decades, had deep soots in the ind and hence looked after theit peoH Farther the Sikh tadition of langar and sharing esablshed by te Sikh Gs ‘yas very strong and hence the Sikhs were greatly a by this, cball Pakine, Since the saviours of the Sikhs are their Gurus, itis presumed that might have sought their Gurus’ b heir Gurus’ blessings for the end of the drought. The rains Began in March 1784 and. slowly Ian 124 and dow te Gh coins pone Ste reverence for their coins, it is quite i they sought thts Gee by placing the lea on tie cons stherwise in notin India, gren had likely that they sought their Gi ae 4 Syiol ofey and prespey Be f a baby is expected; it is a symbol : eee srateful Sikhs to place the leaf motif on the Sikh coins on a pemanene bac as token of theie chanksgiving. However th remain thanksgiving. However, the subj peculation. Sil, mains open for further spec jecure has dawn the support of Hans Het who CHIE ICD OOS Various Leaf Motis on Sikh Coins of feruity and prosperty. The following setecton of leaves occur sta wy show the ate Skiba proposed by Sonne sgh ry even i ust of the cates the Sh cote sul botanical ran bat dangly the ncllycasfable plan, but imply eng foes ofthe es ny supp spe ner Singh, He ses inthe lea a general feritysjnol adopted that regula afficted Noah india The Place of Akal Takk in Sikh Potty 5 Observed jrom Sikh Coins Gury Arjan Dev completed ence thereof as This dis a he ae of G Granth Sabib in August 1604 and summed up the placed te thinge—Trth, Hae ace he things, Haron ad Wisdom, Tes re sesotd wh ‘Who ewes eats and enjoys it shall be saved"™ 1Gum asjan ha vjaa had anticipated the coming of difficult times in the near Sted ving, 2 @ single g a re and worldly i eee I extent thee ne ats altendance. The Sikhs venerated theeco eureme forms of physical torre. Shonly before his demise 3s inde to wna ee en esge ohn Ss rege i 2 a a er a eon hovers snd aan an sy Beso a a cereny of suri, Gur Harbin wore we sword veo cn eng at one reper mi, emp eg an sce fang bt th ope an eer retain’ ‘was further developed under Guru Gobind Singh; at the es ae es ana mre te Gum, see Hat Beate i ey 60 gummy 12, in fot of te Farina i, Guru Hargobind raised a 12-foot-high lation, ane aera! Hint So she al neh wan cone one a he i cbve andthe logon tat Gu Hg he oar os pe lg relist xt is not correct. The latter hi a ce eee cone Caer rar aacaatbiae oh wwereignty, a practice which was prevalent on nite weated the Harmandir as the seat of his spitul “as the seat of his temporal soveregnty. AS the: en and er en * oe te ‘Akal Takht, where he administered justice 3 2 kop in co Sccped poses, saried hon and gare out poitmens. Sor 8 eaten "were narrated and ballads of unsvalled courage were SUSE goverment of sown ke hat of Mughals, The Shs cme 10 ox Sind oP epunte sate hin the Mig eae, the potion of WA a Securely established by the fiscal policy of Guru Amar Das an ie Wy aeares oF i — THE COWAGE OF THE Sit RIOD se 185.17 » fierce battles (1633 to 1638) with the Mughal officials. Finding no end thereto insight, and these battles being a great sain on his resources of both men andl material, he moved to a place near present-day Bilaspur, named it Kirstpur, and spent the rest of his days there ull his demise in 1649.! Nihar znjan Ray very correctly summed-up that Guna fanak laid down the main planks of the platform fon which the edifice of Sikh society was to be built, The later Gurus walked on these planks and few of them—Guru Arjan, Gura Hargobind, and Guru Gobind Singh—strengtiiened them by butwessing and adding new dimensions to them." By the time of Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh community had been all but vansformed from a purely religious group to a highly organized body of men 1nd women within the Punjab, militant in spint, and determined to meet any allenge to their fath and their society, a challenge that came not only from the ‘Mughals but also from the Hindu rajas, perhaps more from the later" "The Integration of the temporal and spiritual aspects seems to have been the most significant contribution of the Sikh Gurus to the Sikh way of Ife From 1644 onwards, Guru Hargobind's successor Gurus did. not sta ‘Amsrsar and spent their time mosly in the Shivalik Hills 104, when Guru Gobind Singh hac Le. from 1644 ul to leave Anandpur Sahib, after a long siege by the combined forces of the Mughal governors and Hinda hill rjas in 1704 ‘The Akal Takes, popularly called Akal Bungs, remained unused and dormant f almost a century tll the Sikhs were able to assem themselves again a might of the Mughals and the Afghans. The petiod from the deat of Guna Gobind Singh ll the permanent occupation of Lahore in 1765 is marked by instances of the extreme torture of Sikh men, women, and children. All some oF min and tonuous methods were adopted by the Mughal ress. with the to literally annihilate them by either conversion to Islam or by execution Bit the spit breathed in his Sikhs by Guru Gobind Singh gave them exemplary and death-defying courage, tempered with compassion for the weak. This period From 1708 to 1765 ts the golden period of the struggle and development of sikh Society into a Sikh nation under extemely trying ircumstances, were developed in the midst of persistent enemy attacks, For instance, Sikhs Faeing extreme pressure and persecution by Samad Khan, Zakatiya Khan, Maite UEulk, and cxher Mughal officers, moved out from thei villages and towns and SBighe refuge in the Lukhi jungles and the Malwa desert Since their women Bud children were not spared, they ook them to their hideouts. With the paseage Bi time, they were able to hold their own with their defence-oriented guerra Fists and successfully planned inusions into the Mughal temorles, A popular Bivitg sums up the stuation; the government rules by the day and the’ Khalsa ules by the night ™ eae Ae Sikhs were firmly established in their areas after 1 eighteenth century. The IM and. Diwali the close of the fist were regular visitors to Amnisir during ‘They used to meet each other, discuss thelr ‘common0 sox comnce oblems and even mutual animosties, which could be sorted out in a soothing om urs. They would then assemble at Etmosphere or by the intervention of other sar : nasal the Akal Takhi, where afr some religious ceremony they would choose the Senior aad the most respected sardar as the leader and pass certain resoltions This assembly has been variously called the general assembly. "hese gurmata were lvaribly passed unanimoesiy assemblies at fated gurmata. rational coun apd 50 on thd ear ay ot of disse nacwoy fers he aes Be RUIPTnGhe were @ All thse who atended che assembly were equ he delberatons, GD All coe Aker and cach had an esa ight f0 parte inthe delberations Sa Sng those assembled at the Akal Takht and those private animosties ceased among pelea ae a acd Dhl persna elgs tthe aa of che tee asd Gi Every one, erespecive of wheter he had Se Geers abated, considered hs religous Fore se ot There sno aangle ae Kaow So oe er dna. parka i the ig against the Mughal o te scree sth a fot Sco and. George Forse hae afer the gurmata was Spoken for or agains the in 1733, confering the tle of navab on Kapur Singh {Bn 14s, vecognize 25 organized groups of ths 1 © ay on de agin he Muga sols oe Tag ata pase exabloh the Dal Kuba and to choose Jas Singh Awana the leader ofthe Dal co mts gurmata pase 10 reco the insted by the mil ion and resist persec system of rabbi that had been A very important gurmata was passed in 1765 on Baiskhi, The uation veri vty andthe fests of Bah wen on or abut # month reafer the sordars sat down at the Akal Takht (0 atend 10 the common sae eine immunty The gurmata unanimous pase dese Be coalce independence and the sumption of soverigny. They soled sae car tet old teitores and acquire new ones wherever possible. They al (peed is sou con in the name oF the Gurus 28 & mark of thelr soverigny eee dented to occupy the capial cy of Lahore and the Bhangi ciel Teh singh, Gul Sigh, and Sobha Singh marched fo Lahore nd ocxuped he vere nce any sedousweolaance and parceled the town amongst thenseves ay 1765. ie may be noted hee that Gum Gobind Singh while at Nanded realized the THE CONACE OF THE MSE FENOD ww S099 a hoslty of the entte Mughal cour towards him and the helplessness of the pert ey ac iW an fn ti as Bahadur 2 Boag, became hie arene diciple nd the Guat eet hay Punjab with his directions, Banda Bahadur was assed by fve senor Shs os advisers and about two dozen soldiers to reorganize the depressed Sikh community and to sve to wre back the low teres He defeed iee Nia cupie the ene Jaufdar of Sthind an the surcundng eens he he cabled his own thas nd st up the ial Sh sate™ The the ees sel forthe at anda sued ster rupee sins sea Syl ote Nana Guru Gobind Singh, mecing hat gh ie carom ce Ton the stent of sword arm, wit unreuned help, Ya Us recinee ten Ge Nil t@ Goru Gobind Singh" this seems to be based on So eee ay Go Gobind Singh's writngs ‘Deg hgh Jug te Doon Chuey Wale e i star Na Deen Tns means that bath ny fee. Ktchon sed ae son fren the wed, preserve me my Lod and it nin tego ae ee Fore the legen (Obese Sth Zad Bar He Do Alam Tegra Wi At, evened Sg Ss Shan Pa Sch Sai A Meaning 4 crn has been stuck in both the wos len and hereaer under the guarantee of Guru Nanak’s double-edged sword, th Gu sword, the vetry of Guru Gobind Singh, King of Kings, has been achieved with the grace of acta Sais Minceant apace of perfect peace, pizure ofa beautiful cy where the llurioes tees Gf the Khalsa isto be laced. Aer the occupation of Lahore, the Sik issued a coin dated an 1785/182 Sanat The legend forthe obvere’ was taken from the Klasse ace time of Banda Bahadur, aoe Dif Nanak Guns Gobind Ss Since there was no reverse on the Khas 2 sal, they tok the existing legend ax A the reverse of the Mughal coins, shor a : te. Zarb DaraeSatimat Labon Jast Minin tao, mening Capa Cy of Iakene apc aad ee Bae, Me: sour 10 years the Ss nee ale suas pec ue ere fom somewhere In Anise They bough ue Sih on Piitlisa: with the legend: ane ia benwe st COmAGE ee ie un Cond Singh Sbb-eSbaben Fes! arb nt Amoisar Boe Takin Aba! Babt Jats Mata Meaning coined at Sri Amita Joe, Reign of Musiows Akal Taki fesP see Meaning coined sikh fou that he legend on ue reverse of the CO oF ane Prep Tul not be used as such, a5 they had a proper ci fom whee Bande Dae ntted, the ey of Arrsar being the most sacred cy fore SA 1 a eR pe Tad. Khai, they gave this honour and chon) tn ac ot va a place revered next tothe Harimandir Sahib, This gen Ta a pan Singh and his successors on the Sikh coins ined frm continued reration of the Sikh state in 1849 by the Bish (ee Pt 2 Amsat til he har the Shs gave the place for dhe Khalsa Tak © the Mt He ce higher in consional hesrcy 10 the tempors USS Tak» Die Re Akal Tak, inscribed onthe reverse of the Sh coins Soe et this author ot aft singh was called upon vo appear Before the Ala) T3808 wich Mahar remeanor and was avarded punishment which he ace fn complete humility.” Mughal Coins Countermarked with te Sikb Khanda Ensign Countermarked sughal snd Soi coins have come to nodce. CH, Bidiiph sate Gourkermay craks were Prsan in origin and fad been alin 9 Pass tha the courte periods of occupation of cir Kabul or Qandasat 1 S6o) coins 1 ae Pg encounter wh che Suen the period when the Magi commarsfrmayun had been defexted and had fst he Kingsom, © et shah ere eredatermark was generally in the frm of an embosses Wort gy Suri The countering cees the prevalence ofthe coin a lel neath na nc rk on the Duran cof invariably has the mark Bay on 0 vith uae or the regal year. In afew cases, the word ‘Sabi), COmses ES wrth 3 date oF een used These counters are consid ag sound, Senne) eee are male a ener in execution th the SOU aga oF egal cons, These appear 10 have been fixed by the Dives thersel¥) on i aie, primary the Robi, They, eve cons 3p eS of th oe ee afer the Duranis kad lef Ind” Simla, che ie Si) Dumins Gb, Jin, and Malerkcla coined 10 site coins persinin ie fourth year of Abmad Sth Abdali” Ee ir valey remained Ut off from the est of the woild Aut vinta the when te mountain passes were blocked wth Dewy So winter mean century coins were in vogue from Ashokan times onw PLATE: MUGHAL COM INS COU WITH THE SK RHANDA ENSIGN.rex According to Whitehead, Kashi rupees segue to the discrepancies sn the regnal and eof the authenticity of the coins and £0 taxes levied on winter indus tvere countermarked by the rule the ijt years and to assure the Peo ffusrantee their unrestricted circulation.” Ae Met Mod Sikh coins bes copper and siver are avulabie it ie ad tha these ere countered ln Afghanis 5 ‘when ies presamere belng ted on the money cared through, Ne Coe ‘Another merchant raion fat tese were coutermarke Dy tne SIs Ss they took key explana ye Rash Vly in 1819 0 and where remains the ere skh copper coins fom Dera Gaz! Khan and De eit) ‘Khan (Derajat) had the word ‘raif & coin at the minting stage" symbol The Sikhs seem n These of whanda and not with the pF of sand, 8 cr ropee ota the ater Mughals fe svalele PCS countermariesnding areas Bernd Decker,» coin collar who 1 BT ing are in his collection, considers them 10 sve een Wa goue his own Sikh coinage, photocopies of cacrrermarked by Banda Bahadur before be cou ouncrmatie Oe avaiable as 10 wio, when, and whe eis MIELE There are No 2g the She wh tele Mande SYR Te were out Peshawar for afew years by Prince Naunib Sogh Wit were sued fom PeSngh, who. was commanding the Sikh forces Wy lance of Hat Singh Nala fr few years; 16 40 1835. The gener Byer, had invaded Peshawar ip 1772 and terest ‘occupied it for tad ated thatthe Sikhs might have countermarked ned nt y2 and 1895 tn order to set ka SU sige mare on the reverse duc toe Presta Mughal coins with Randa Currency Gee Plate HD. The GuES ie the marking of the Khanda siga. he i ae avaible in aed around the Peshawar we ¢ OPP orn sede Suhs before they svc their Own coins om Peta TE more ky a the Mogi cole in order vo west chem at Wales Oni NOTES adr, Asa: Salsa College, 1925 wp: fap Newson ace? Say cana Singh, fof Banda Sina Sire arbitral recor, Abarat en alu in Panjab Pt & Pret, ol XVOD “on, Pal: Punjbs Universi p32 5 OPS, Banda Sngb Babar, 9: a PP SDB. 3 Sa Trine, Zar Mughals, pp- S62. $ at Ram up, Motor of Sis, 0 1p 5 Han Bar Corson, The Por of aa, wl. Vir BD. S24 & lt Goa Hoy of Sis, v0 op- cy 2 3 tc and Boman, op. ct, vol th, pp 4567. va aun Ror “ 1D. ory of Sikbs, New Delhi: S. Chand & 2p 8; Bhaga Sng try of Sik is, Pata: Pana 31 Han Ram Gus, ie oro Ss MP Pana User, 15,3; a Ram Gi, Ba spta, History of Sits, vol. Ge ase erie oe lit and Dowson, Mitory of hud, Delhi: Low Th Si oe app naw he pedo a Shai em fe De pos cud wi pl df ns i at face een conn rho occa Tol upon the Degnge Fe Sho can Soh So 2 Has Ram Gop, Hoy of Ss, vl pp 26. 2. bid po. 1. % lps 2. (9 Attain tuts, forarnama, Ss Amar Mis Coleg 12@. (4) Te Singh and Ganda Singh 4 5 M0 hs tom Gp, Sb ep Ui Baga, Agraan Sm of tb Sis, New IRE Hees foun Soo i, ew Due Sena, 178,» 2 fen rs tno, 978, 25, ote 7. pit (0 Bhagat Singh so ge BS Ssh ry of Si Poa Caren, 199,» as Man fain Gupta, Hixon of Sits, vol. I, op. ck, p. 174, 35 ta st Ka kn, Ta Ts a in Pa Mi, ws gut i ore, P18. ‘quoted by Hari Ram Gupa, no he Sits, Paala: Punjabi Univers, 1952, 5 (SRD, Accession 90.127,6 his onthe author of Miskin, Khushwag Ri ane 7. id, p. 178, Has Ram Gupta bases his y fae 3a. oily pp 40 and 206. Tralee of na ashe 8 Pe bt he was vee opposed He we ene apes, He ited ADs Shab and gar se er p47, 8 ace by Ha Ram Cup. op: chs FT far pal Pees ofthe abs Cala Tac, Londo East 40, James Brown pep nda Suis Pa & Preset, vol 1 ofthe disening sec ofthe Nias, whose arco, x ‘away the location of the Sikh Sih a ne a 2 Joe pms and tee court at Delhi, with his recommendations ‘February 785 airing his stay of about thee years in India that Browne came |” monet CoE tae Ag é ‘his account The Sibbs upto March 1785 and whip, Ne acy gn Se Dc p. 230; G.C, Narang, Traore and 175, He ces a number of Persian soures rua singh ste that Bodh Singh and isd Singh were el Ganda Se ona Sb wren in Devaraga. BOWE or nave 2 eatin of ts sen Fike regular conimaton of fesse purpose. Ccstoms and Manners, Chandga Vi} c4, Hea Ran Gupta, op. ch rapport this ca ven 6 Sogn de Secon, 3B, Oty 46. Soaepp! 1678, based on the accounts of Aud, hore’, Proceedings of the Indion HON) a, shamsher Kul; a Gan se; Newal Kishore Press, 1871, p. 114! tah i able, are bigoted enensies of the Musalmans. I is observed tht in STAG te ‘son named Jassa Singh from amongst themselves to ne oe se nen pen fe of ate 2 ye Ce ces ic ees eres en a 48. Ganda Singh, ‘History of Origin and Progress of the: ‘sikhs by 49. Wi, P35. 50. tid, S81; CK. Sha, Ae of Sb Powe, Calta: A. Mure & Co, 97, p. $5 51, tas am Gopi “The FS Cano abr’ oct pp 5. id, p 3, foomoce De. Saha, ost coming sn fhe wes sci above in this connect, jumps othe conlson tee cas Mer nt task al ap es {© m0 autho: on whom he tes ht sees mage SY ct Ye Ras he lk 13, NIC Sita, Rar ofthe Ss Powe, op. ct, p55 He must be adit tat Wt Mw dey te (af comage, and 1 have ome done een f hese son were suck wou be proper sna tet ‘hots fc fief the St commence ‘4. Han az Gop, he ost Sth Con of abo 35 ta 36 8 Ba, The Sa Suge or independence and the Place of Sovereign in Sikh Poy "he Mezcal Inion Sine, Chanda Panib Laie, 1968, p 1X, G5. chs __ Advanced sor) of enjoin: News cadeic Pabsing Cos 9S 57, NK Saba, op p38 58 atbbarsDerbarsituate, Ol Hiericl Recon, Jp Account, dated 6 July 1710, 59. Hadigaat-gat by Monsea Hsin, Alig: Aga Muslin Unive, 9. M8. @, he sea imprint beats he legend ‘Dah Tah Fete sdoped on SN ae Ia 6S and convats, the legend onthe fw rpees Wace so far at of ‘Sib Zadar ero ‘le, oped onthe Ants tapce of 17 and onan 61, Reazancevimiv, see nate 17 sore € Gun Ds adc Chr Bagh’ opel Sg, Rat Cotes, 6) Rhaswage Ra, Kab Terd Puna foo 04, quoted by Ha Ram Gupta, op. thea : 65. Gand Singh, Sardar Jas Singh Ablauata, Patt leper, Rae fe nb Unvesiy, 199, p10 ‘of the Panga Panjb Languages Deparment, 197, pl Brigadier Suit Singh In his leter ded 20: May” 1980 Cn reply to my ler dated family) z * ; Ge lar Ram 6 e. cups, op. ot, 9. 167 Has tes, The Cons of he Sib, Nagpur tan Con Society. 1958, p. 168 Hans He as sted ‘hat the complete tke sad bur simneia Shab Souja Armin, Mar {Ghat Lord Burnes Roabpasompant by San Mohamad Rin blo Musa. Ran Durrani has been taken by him fom an arile in JPASB. vol LI no. 1 CI) by Roden. PP as sam cups, Dussehe Festival in the Punish during Sikh Rule 18001847, sikh Raicu, 197%, op. 413, ee Bil 9 3. oan Singh, Hidory of the Sis, vol 1, Deli: Oxford University Pres, eee o Delhi: Oat 1985 TENE Sai, se Bis, p 2 n 7%. of be Si Pour, op. eh, p. 5,erushwane Singh, History of te Sits, vl 1 St Bp; 1602 Pe ee ee Se pa pe ea ; Mane Sng Univerty, Pata, 15. tes th nce sal ne eae Dhn Singh old the Maha that a a ‘ 2 doth round his wat ite the buble trans The (GE Nasang, 0p: cs B25 ‘ose mame the is wee sk sl Fant Sagh wo oy w JD. Cunningham, op. cit, P: 93. © yo Geni i Gr Tbe Punjab as a Sovereign Sia 7 Pract Condon of te Stand on the memois of Captain the Pash’ He is also sid fo ae have called hill tap’ Ge om DMA Maciulife, The Sit felon, vo. op ok pb. @Golihan tal Chopra eure ab, OP. cit» Ps 78 ‘National Book Trust, 1969, Se TE amie oe man nen GS let ts tn Cai us conan Mode She Ca ofthe Sop... OC. Rae On ‘ol ands Cana Sg, nua es te BO, PB 109. bad the preps of ccting the ne Tir Ram Capes a epriege of meting the js op ce PE Pisa ® ee Sp ! Bo 2 es in Juana fo 19 to 1980 mas, Pa Pe minaraon of Puna Teron, 12H Bf ant ad ook cacao acral ces nM Ped to wren TGs. Chabr, as ‘ Advanced History of be Panga, jo a an Julndhae: New Acidic Publishing Co, 34 Ma ary of is, vO OP he BM, ag, Singh wave 10 Arvin un Facute for he Diva celeron Poregn Deparenen age and Patiala Sate Nazana Colas Pana Ul cingBoe sso, Puna Cates, Oe 1 en ah ssa Singh abla, 0. 119. i,» 38 20. dP. 24 pat 12s. ids 9-122 12 bid p33 1s. visor neque, pe Tp 3 _ 126 et et Coins of be Si, oP iP po, ares: Rha College, 1965, char Bagh--Panjab (ed. Kapa Sng, se Puna tended Yours Age, Pu Languanss PET 129, Ii, p16 . 128 Std Gude to Sout Ase An edn, p11. sand Paper Currency, Wisconsin: Kee Ps 150, Tid Pp. ZI ne Coins ofthe SS’ oP. cs P91 vs 3B Cee Op ay india, New Delhi: Yater-tndia Pub Tar Ge iemine, capper cone o alam Sink & So. Fa Sih omits wah ope refer action, $9 Pratap Ms tote Cin of Ral reference te Co * ume i, NEE, OA. ay, Rewer 157, RET Soma tbe Sith, oc. P- - 140 ay aft as oS PT 14 Ha Ran a 07 a in ste Oo he ee pane anand 2 he se ee ad been ig or st 0 YN A ey 16 f Bk Sen SH aon oot ct sould be 1780), oa erry Harchaandas sys that 1 AP no, 25, March 1986 145, Bid, p.355 -the san chaless famine’ 1884, p M6. tid, ps7. 147. Bid p. 124 148, Hans Hon, The Coin ofthe Sb, op. et, pA 19. Masia Cain Shy The Qn Sy Pp. 238,234 151, Tuaabtabangi Masobada p72, Amati: SGPC, 1965, p. 248 "David Shea and Antboay Tropa, Pati 1843, by Rodgess and Beveridge), 1996 edn, New Delhi: Munshi 152. Max Athue Maculife, The Sib Rein, vo 1985, 9.99, 153, Acoli, op. cit, vol I, p. 2 154, AC. Binet, Te Sih Gurus andthe Sth Religion, New Debi 1885, pp. 3278 155, DabiaaretMazhab, op cy pp. 2354 156. Tloehan Singh, Gur Teh Bahadur, De aredwa Patandhale Commitee, 1965 158. LR Gupta, stsory of Sh Gurus, New Delhi: UC. Kapoor & Sons, 1973. p11 159, Bi, p10, 60. Naciuhfe, The Sip Region, op. ct, p. 214 16I. Nie Rajan Ray, The Sb 163.18. Chega, 4 toy of Ss, New Deh: 8. Chand & Co, 972, p. 8 972 165. KS. Thapar “Gormath, op, ct, p. 257 166, tid, p. 2 167. KS. "Thapar, Guat: Democracy in Practice 168.0) bat, p 2 AG 1 Cup, tory of its, op. ct, p. 27 Hes te. pn th cu, New Dah Makin He i ci emia oat esr WL Hh Cats, story of hs, vl Hop {Bh December 1710 and another addrsed to Bhai Dharam Singh reproduced in Hak neat, 1985, pp 92. BPD Dharam Pat Asha, Poeuy of Datam Granth PhD. thesis, Chandu: Panjab Univers, BPE Suviner singh, study in Sk Coinage’, Ph.D. thesis, Clout: Rabinde Bharat Univers Bato 191 uti 191 Gulshan tall Chopra, KX. hula, CJ. Rodgers, Faua Singh, Waheed dh Bat. wh, Wahoedud dia me ven diferent accounts) PBS et mci, journal of he Bi REP Jorn of te Noma Sc of da, oh. 8K, 186, p36. This p40.es 379, RG. Temple, The C Bombay, 159, pt 180, Raton 195,103. ten. CH Bil 152, Hans Hert of Kalba op ct, 7. "cans ete ih sins ofthe Modern Chiefs of the Pun aot Staram Pa, New Deh: 8 agp: tian Coin Soc 1, 1983 F aya Akar, Tangs p91, 158. CHAPTER It Sikh Coinage during the Lahore Darbar: The Period of Ranjit Singh AD 1800-1839 In the defence and recovery of thee county the Sikhs daplayed 4 courage ofthe most bsinat kind, and manifested a perseverance, under the pressure of calamities, which bear nample testrnony of nave resource, wen the concion anger hod roused em to aceon and gave but one impulse to tele pint. Should any future cause call forth the combined [fons ofthe Sikhs to maintain the existence of empire and religion we may Sct some mbitous chief led on by his genius and success, and absorbing the power of his associates, pay from the uns of thee commonwealth the stndard of monetchy. Under such & form of goverment, have lle hesitation in saying thatthe Shs woul be oon advanced (the stanke amongs the nave pances of Hindustan, and would become a tere to the Heounding sates Historical Developments upto 42 1800 “The prophetic remarks in George Forster’s letter of March 1783 addressed to ord Corvallis, the Governor-General, made during his jumey from Bengal to gland came true within a period of less than tw decades, one such ambitious het, Ranjt Singh, came to occupy a large pat of the Punjab, including the Gpital Lahore in July 1799. Within two decades he had consolidated his postion Bnd held sway over the entire wansSutle} teitories of the Punjab, Kashmir, Peshawar, Dera, and the frontier areas, Kanchiya Lal, a munsbt in the pay of the Bridsh, states that Ranjit Singh Held a darbar in ap 1800 in which he ordered the minting of silver rupee cola, Pith Persian couplet in praise of the Gurus on the obverse and his own image long with the date and the place of stiking on the reverse. The next day Pincreds oF such coins were dlistibuted amongs the poor and the needy Bbwever, this account is incorrect. The darbar was held in April 1801 and it was, ered thar the existing Sikh coin, with the ‘Degb Tegh Fateb’ legend, should Pettiue to be minted from Lahore > Another Sikh historian, Prem Singh Hotl, states that Ranjt Singh had a great