Know Your City | Vadodara’s brush with coins of the past

Motiwala has a postulation of implicit 3,000 coins, cautiously stored successful idiosyncratic cases wrong dozens of albums, alongside precious books—some of which helium has besides contributed to. His passionateness for numismatics was ignited successful 2007 erstwhile a medal that arrived astatine his antique store piqued his curiosity. His extended probe aboriginal revealed it to beryllium a Rai Bahadur rubric badge awarded during the reign of King George V. Motiwala says, “I meticulously enriched my cognition and engaged successful studies astir coins, gathering infinitesimal details astir them. Today, I person much than 3,000 coins from past times to the British colonization successful India.”

Motiwala has a postulation of implicit 3,000 coins, cautiously stored successful idiosyncratic cases wrong dozens of albums, alongside precious books—some of which helium has besides contributed to. (Express Photo)

Coins of the Gaekwad dynasty

Among his astir prized possessions is simply a thorax of coins from the Baroda state’s Gaekwad dynasty. Although the authorities traces its origins to Pilajirao Gaekwad successful 1721, it was during the regularisation of Manaji Rao that the archetypal hand-struck coins were issued, pursuing the signifier of naming the Mughal emperor successful Persian substance and placing the archetypal of the Gaekwad Maharaja successful Nagari script. These coins carried the AH (Anno Hegirae) date.

Motiwala says, “The strategy of that clip was to springiness respect to the ruler sitting successful Delhi. During Mughal rule, if you looked astatine the coins of immoderate princely state, they would look to beryllium from the Mughal era, but if you flipped them, they would carnivore an inscription oregon motion of the ruler who issued them. When the British came, they continued this strategy with a fewer states. I person a fewer coins from erstwhile Bikaner and Alwar states wherever the reverse of the coin has the inscription of the state, though the beforehand carries the sanction of Queen Victoria. It could beryllium owed to a treaty.”

Among his astir prized possessions is simply a thorax of coins from the Baroda state’s Gaekwad dynasty. (Express Photo)

In the Baroda state, Manaji Rao, who ruled from 1789 to 1793, issued coins inscribed with the sanction of Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, adding an other Nagari missive ‘Ma’ to bespeak his name. During the reign of Anand Rao, from 1800 to 1819, coins issued successful the authorities featured Muhammad Akbar’s sanction alongside the initials of the Gaekwad Maharaja, with immoderate coins adjacent displaying the curved sword, the dynastic awesome of the Gaekwads since Damajirao Gaekwad, who earned the rubric of Shamsher Bahadur from Chhatrapati Shahu for his valiant efforts successful the 1721 Battle of Balapur.

After the Mughal empire surrendered to the British successful 1857, the designs of Baroda authorities coins inscribed the rubric “the Commander of the Sovereign Band”, held by the Gaekwad. The legends (inscriptions located astir the coin’s edge) remained successful Persian, and the coins continued to beryllium hand-struck.

In the 1870s, Nagari legends and antithetic designs were introduced and milled coins began to beryllium issued, yet featuring the representation of the Gaekwad. Motiwala, who besides possesses coins bearing portraits of Sayajirao III Gaekwad, says, “The leafage signifier connected the coins issued by Sayajirao III was inspired by British coin designs, possibly to wage respect to the Queen… During the reign of Maharaja Sayajirao III, helium did not simply ‘copy-paste’ designs that had been utilized for centuries. He introduced coins successful Devanagari publication alternatively of English, possibly arsenic his mode to depart from the British mandate. The coins of Sayajirao III transportation the inscription of the denomination arsenic ‘ek rupaya’ and not ‘one rupee’. He besides changed the day to Samvat from AH, aligning with communal taste norms.”

After the Mughal empire surrendered to the British successful 1857, the designs of Baroda authorities coins inscribed the rubric “the Commander of the Sovereign Band”, held by the Gaekwad. (Express Photo)

While milled coins were issued successful constricted numbers towards the extremity of Malharrao’s rule, the caller milled coins featuring important changes were introduced during Sayajirao III’s reign. The archetypal milled paisas of Sayajirao III were issued successful Vikram Samvat 1940, bearing a fable successful Devanagari speechmaking ‘sarkar’ (government), accompanied by the hoof of a equine and a scimitar—a single-edged sword with a curved blade—encircled by a beaded border. Outside the circle, the inscription reads, “Shri Sayajirao M Gaekwad, Sena Khas Khel Shamsher Bahadur” (‘administrator of Baroda, brave and distinguished swordsman’). Motiwala says, “It is simply a important twelvemonth of coins for the Gaekwad dynasty, bringing the alteration that Sayajirao III had incorporated into the caller dice casting.”

Heavier coins

The aboriginal milled coins were heavier, pursuing the tola strategy of 11.66 g. Motiwala adds that the Baroda authorities issued coins from its ain mints, utilizing their ain dyes and prints. He explains, “The authorities of Baroda had 7 mints located successful Baroda, Sankheda, Petlad, Jambusar, Amreli, Kadi and Champaner. The Amreli mint was dedicated solely to copper coins, and not overmuch documentation is disposable for Champaner, which was discovered successful caller years. However, the dice they utilized differed from mint to mint, truthful the dice successful Sankheda would beryllium chiseled from that of the Baroda mint.”

Motiwala’s postulation besides includes uncommon 1 rupee coins from the Gregorian twelvemonth 1862. (Express Photo)

Interestingly, Motiwala notes that coins from 1 royal authorities were considered ineligible tender successful another, and determination was nary conception of demonetised coins. “At that time, civilians were not arsenic acrophobic with the inscriptions of the coins arsenic they were with the metallic from which they were made. A bagful of metallic coins was valued by its weight… We besides person coins wherever 1 kingdom has overstruck the inscriptions of another—there is simply a coin successful the postulation wherever the Baroda inscription is struck implicit a Lunawada authorities coin. A civilian from Baroda authorities could usage Baroda authorities coins successful the Indore authorities and vice versa. The fig of coins minted successful a kingdom reflected the purchasing powerfulness of its subjects,” helium says.

Motiwala’s postulation besides includes uncommon 1 rupee coins from the Gregorian twelvemonth 1862, bearing the inscription of Queen Victoria, erstwhile British mints introduced the antithetic strategy of dot-dating for 12 years until 1874. Additionally, helium possesses coins from the Kharosthi era, the aureate property of the Mughal empire from 1556 to 1605, nether the reign of Akbar, arsenic good arsenic those from the clip of Tipu Sultan.