Coins of Medieval India (Photostat)

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Knowing the history of coins reveals much about the period during which they were issued. Coins of the medieval period give us wonderful insights into the history of different dynasties. From coins issued in the times of the Delhi Sultanate to coins of Mughal India, opportunities are galore.

Medieval period coins not only give us wonderful insights about the history of the time but also about the different types of Calendar Systems that were followed in those days. They differ a lot from the coins of ancient times.

The difference between the coins used in the ancient times versus the medieval times is that the coins of ancient times featured a profile face with Sanskrit text while medieval period coins showed the full face on the obverse side with khutba inscribed on the reverse side.

THF successful arruption of the White Huns into Northern India in the beginning of the sixth century AD gave the first shock to the stability of the great Gupta Empire, which had lasted for two centuries without a check The western provinces of Malwa and Rajputana, from the Narbada to the Jumna as far east as Gwalior, were seized and held by the conquerors, while the Gangetic provinces were overrun and plundered and the temples destroyed as far cast as Magadha Trom that time the eastern pro vinces were in an unsettled and disturbed state and the power of the Guptas began rapidly to decline Most of the states whose coins are described in the following pages rose to power and established their independence during the following two centuries The comage which under the Guptas had been continued on a settled system of dinars of gold, and half harshas of silver began very early to be debased In the western provinces the old thick drammas of silver were given up for small thin pieces copied from the Sassanian money, but without any letters or legends to show by whom they were issued The Indo Scythian type of the copper money was continued in the Panjab and Kashmir down to the beginning of the fourteenth century The coin types of the Horseman and Bull of the Brahmans of Kabul wero continued by the Ghaznavis, by the Ghorns, and by the different Rajput states of the North-West of India And lastly, the Indian type of the Goddess Parvatı, introduced by the Rajas of Chedi, was adopted by the Chandellas of Mahoba, by the Tomaras of Delhi, by the Rahtors of Kanauj, and even by Muhammad bin Sam All these different types are described in the following pages.