1st Edition
The Raj and the Rajas Money and Coinage in Colonial India
The decline of the Mughal Empire, the political ascendency of the British East India Company, a number of revivalist powers (the Sikhs, the Marathas, the Rohillas, etc.), and a large number of Indian princely states, resulted in redrawing the political spaces across India. In the process, the minting rights of the titular Mughal king and of the neo-independent Indian princely rulers were severely curbed by the dominant colonial power, both for political as well as economic reasons. The territorial expansion of the British Empire in India was invariably followed by the abolition of the native mints and the introduction of the imperial currency in the annexed territories. Indeed, the ‘sikka’ followed the flag.
By presenting the monetary history of this period, this volume seeks to address some of the questions, viz. the effect of money supply on trade, prices of commodities and services, wage structures in different regions as well as on the administrative and military health of a political power.
In this unique anthology, published studies along with unpublished archival records have been integrated into an overall theme. Together with a comprehensive bibliography-cum-list for further readings this volume is aimed to serve as a veritable reference tool.
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Introduction to the Series
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction: Sanjay Garg
PART I: STUDIES
1. Sovereignty and the ‘Sikka’ under the Raj: Minting Prerogatives and Imperial Legitimacy in India
John S. Deyell and Robert E. Frykenberg
2. The Raj and the Rajas: A Tale of Numismatic Diplomacy
Sanjay Garg
3. ‘Sikka’ and the Crown: Genesis of the Native Coinage Act, 1876
Sanjay Garg
4. A Metallic Mirror: Changing Representation of Sovereignty on Indian Coins during the Raj
Shailendra Bhandare
5. Change of Superscription on Coins of Native States, 1858-1872
Sarjit Singh Randhawa
6. Economic Relations between the Paramount Power and the Princely States of India, 1858-1881
Ajit K. Neogy
7. Suppression of the Native Mints
P.J.E. Stevens
a. The Coins of the Bombay Presidency: I. The Mints of the Northern Districts
II. The Transitional Mints of the Southern Maratha Country
III. The Transitional Mints of the Deccan
IV. Introduction of Machine-made Copper Coins into the Bombay Presidency: The Challenge of Local Mints
b. The Coins of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces of the Bengal Presidency: I. Mints of Northern India
II. The Farrukhabad Mint
PART II: RECORDS
1. Resolution: Suppression of the Native Copper Coin, and for General Introduction of the Government Copper Coin, 28 February 1862
2. Resolution: Introduction of British Coins into Bundelkhand in Place of Native Coins in Circulation, 21 March 1864
3. The Case of Cooch-Behar
a. Financial Condition and the Coinage of Cooch Behar State, 1864
b. Introduction of the Coinage of British India into Cooch Behar, 1864
4. Manufacturing of Coins by Native States, 1868
5. Manufacture of Copper Coin in Birmingham Mint for Some Native States of India, 1869
6. Suggestion of Financial Department that Native Chiefs having Mints be Induced to Forego them, or that they should Assimilate their Coins with Government of India Ones, 1869
7. Mints in Native States: Uniform Coinage throughout India Impossible at Present, 1870
8. Secretary of State’s Despatch Relative to Mintage Still Existing in Native States, 1872
9. Coinage in British Mints for Native States, 1876
10. Regulation or Suppression of Mints in Native States, 1876
11. Gold and Silver Annually Coined by Native States in India, 1885
12. Proposal to Generally Restrict the Coinage of Copper by Native States in Rajputana, 1886-1887
13. Particulars Regarding the Currencies of Native States, 1895
14. Reports on the Measures Taken by the Native States to Substitute British Currency for Native Currencies, 1896
Bibliography
Contributors
Index
Biography
Sanjay Garg (b. 1965) is an eminent scholar with extensive research experience in history of South Asia, with specialization in economic and monetary history, currency and coinage, architecture and archival studies. His research findings have been widely published in print and multimedia, and include The Sikka and the Raj (2013). For a complete list of publications, see: http://sanjaygarg.wikidot. com/bibliography. Dr. Garg has been serving in the National Archives of India since 1988 and is presently holding the post of Deputy Director of Archives. Simultaneously, he is also working as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Secretariat created at the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, to celebrate the 75 years of India’s Independence.
