Indian Coins Encyclopedia Series

Some aspects of the History and

Coinage of the Panna Area

Barry Tabor
Barrytabor@aol.com

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 Some aspects of the History and Coinage of the Panna area
emerging ‘Paramount Power.’
My previous work on
these coins appeared in the
It is well-known that the coinages of the several small states in
ONS newsletters numbers
18th and 19th century central India, although familiar to us, have
183 in 2005 and 193 in
not been fully researched. I refer to states such as Bhopal,
2007. This is an updated
Dhar, Dewas, Rampur, Lunawada, Banswara, Sunth, Ratlam,
article, combining old and
Datia and Jhabua, among others. Of these states, large number
new information with new
of coins remain to be identified and properly researched.
illustrations, updated tables
and revised conclusions.
I do not intend, in any way, to denigrate the sterling efforts of
This has become necessary
numismatists of the calibre of Dr. Bhatt, Ken Wiggins, S
following the examination
Bhandere and others, merely to restate how much more
of more coins and the study
remains to be done, despite their work. Dr. Bhatt, in particular,
of additional data, which
must have spent many thousands of hours poring over piles of
have only become available
dirty, worn, ugly chunks of copper to have produced the fine,
since those articles were
pioneering work that he did. Despite all this effort, there are
published.
still many common coins, particularly coppers, which remain
unpublished and somewhat enigmatical. Some are a complete
Introduction
mystery. Many are certainly ‘unofficial’ issues.
In his foreword to Prashant
A Brief History of Panna and its successor states
Kulkarni’s excellent
“Coinage of the Bhonsla
Panna was a state in Bundelkhand, part of modern Madhya
Rajas of Nagpur” (Indian
Pradesh, (Fig. 4) in north central India. The rulers were Bundela
Coin Society, Nagpur 1990)
Rajputs of the House of Orchha.
Stan Goron wrote, “The
numismatic history of the
Champat Rai, sworn enemy of the Mughals, declared his
declining years of the
independence from Dehli during the period of chaos in the
Mughal Empire, of the
Bundelkhand area that followed Jhujhar Singh of Orchha’s ill-
various states that carved
starred rebellion in 1635 AD. During the 1650’s, Chhatarsal,
territory out of that dying
Champat Rai’s son, continued to gain in power, taking and
empire, and of the post-
holding territory east of the Dharsan River. He extended his
Mughal period generally,
territory into eastern Malwa, and by 1671 AD he was master of
has, with a few notable
most of Bundelkhand. His state included Banda in the north,
exceptions, been badly
Rewah in the east and Jabalpur in the south, and extended as
neglected. The field is very
far as the river Betwa in the west. He never held Datia or
wide, potentially fertile,
Orchha.
and waiting to be
ploughed.” Since then,
His first capital was Kalinjar but Panna became the chief town in
there has been an
1675 AD. Chhatarpur (founded by Chhatarsal in 1707 AD) and
increasing interest in the
Jaitpur were the only other towns of any importance in the
history and coinage of the
territory. In 1729 AD., the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah
Mughal successor states,
sent an imperial army against him, which forced him out of
and a large number of
Jaitpur, but he regained his lost territory the following year,
studies have been
with the assistance of the Maratha Peshwa Bhaji Rao I. In 1731
published. Much of the
AD., the Peshwa took, as payment for his assistance, the town
interest has been focused
of Saugor and its dependent territory. Some of Chhatarsal’s
on the relationships of
vassals also received small pieces of the territory, and the
those states with the

2
remainder was split
between two of his sons.
Panna went to Hirde Singh
and Jaitpur to Jagat Rai.
When Chhatarsal died in
1732 AD he left numerous
progeny (over 50 sons are
known) holding bits of
territory in the area,
including Panna, Charkhari,
Ajaigarh, Bijawar, Sarila,
Jaso, Jigin and Lugasi. (i)
The state of Panna,
therefore, came into
separate independent
existence in 1732 AD, under
Hirde Singh, who made
Panna town his capital. He
was succeeded by Sabha
Singh (1739-1752 AD) and
Aman Singh (1752-1758
AD). Aman Singh was
murdered by his brother
Hindupat (1758-1777 AD),
who ruled Panna for nearly
20 years, before he passed
it on to his son Anirudh
(1777-1779 AD). Anirudh
was a minor, and had
regents to administer the
state on his behalf, but the
regents fought among
themselves and, in the
resulting civil war (also
referred to as the
‘interregnum’) much of the
territory was lost. Beni
Hazuri took Maihar,
Khemraj took Paldeo and
Sone Sah Ponwar took
Chhatarpur, leaving only
the rump of the original
Panna state for Dhokal
Singh, brother of Anirudh,
to govern independently.
The coins of Panna, Charkhari and Bijawar, an introduction
From the above brief history, it is clear that Panna was a very
significant state, much greater in area, wealth and power than
Chhatarpur, Charkhari or Bijawar states, which had been mere
parts of the whole. Chhatarpur and Bijawar, and even Charkhari
are said, or have been shown to have struck their own coinage,
so where is the coinage of Panna? Krause shows only a single
copper coin, bearing an effigy of the Hindu god Lord Hanuman,
attributed to Panna. That coin, following work by the late and
greatly missed Ken Wiggins, and extensive labours by Dr. S K
Bhatt, is now accepted as being a coin of Dhar state.
If we want to know, we must go to the coins themselves to find
an answer. (vii)
There is a well-known, readily available series of rupees (Krause
includes a selection as KM.15, 17, 19, 20 and 21 of Chhatarpur
“Princely” State) that carry the mint-name Chhatarpur (iv).
Received wisdom is that the Chhatarpur mint opened in 1816
AD, long after Chhatarpur State gained its independence (ii),
and so these coins have been attributed to Chhatarpur state
after that date. This necessitates the assumption that all dates
and regnal years on these coins, up to regnal year 27 of Shah
Alam II, are fictitious, because these dates predate the
separation of Chhatarpur as an independent state. This
assumption was valid when only a few random, mostly undated
examples were known and published, but we now know that
these rupees constitute a long, unbroken series bearing regnal
years and Hijra dates from year 3 of Shah Alam II (1762 AD), or
earlier, until year 27 (1784/85 AD).
We also have coins with the same mint name, but dated after
RY 27, some of which are clearly the true coinage of Chhatarpur
State. If we read the years on coins with regnal years up to RY
27 as the actual dates they were struck, and as fixed years
between date changes, we will place these coins in the period
before Chhatarpur state was founded as a separate entity by
Sone Sah Ponwar in 1784/85AD. At that time, as shown above,
Chhatarpur was an important town in Panna State. I believe
this to be the only viable option, and that these familiar coins
are thus demonstrated to be coins of Panna State, and not
Chhatarpur State. I think it is also clear that some coins bearing
the Chhatarpur mint name and regnal years of Shah Alam II
after 27 are coins of Chhatarpur State. There remains the task
of identifying coins of Bijawar, Charkhari, and maybe other
successor states of Panna.
Other coins attributed to Chhatarpur
As well as the aforementioned rupees, the KM catalogues
illustrate and describe coins of two other denominations
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reputedly emanating from
the Chhatarpur mint. KM.2
is an undated copper
“paisa” (weight not given).
KM.5 is an undated quarter
rupee with the regnal year
25, weighing ‘2.68-2.9grammes’. Both these coins have the
distinctive Chhatarpur mintmark of a sunflower, see below. The
quarter rupee appears to be crudely engraved and has no mint-
name on it, and could, prima facie, just as easily be a product of
the erstwhile Bijawar mint. No comments are possible, at this
stage, about the copper.

Rulers of Chhatarpur State. (ix)

AD. Date. AH. Date. Ruler.

1784/85 1199/1200 Chhatarpur State founded.
Title – Raja
1785 – 1816 1199 - 1231 Kunwar Sone Shah
1816 – 1854 1231 – 1270/71 Pratap Singh
1854 – 1867 1270/71 – 1283/84 Jaghat Singh
1867 – 1895 1283/84 – 1312/13 Vishvanath Singh}
Title - Maharaja }
1895 – 1932 1312/13 – 1341/42 Vishvanath Singh}
1932 – 1947 1341/42 - 1366 Bhawani Singh

Chhatarpur State coins
I believe that the foregoing is sufficient to
indicate that coins bearing the mint name
‘Chhatarpur’, but struck before 1784/85 AD.,
do not belong to Chhatarpur State, but are, in
fact, coins of Panna state, and that some
coins bearing the mint name Chhatarpur that
were struck after that date, are coins of
Chhatarpur State. Two such rupees, with
regnal years 30 and 35, are shown below, as
the first two coins in Fig.1. These coins are of
substantially the same design as Panna coins
from Chhatarpur mint, but they are probably
scarcer. They are dated “312”, presumably
for AH. 1203, with regnal year 30, and,
erroneously, AH. 1227/35. The first probably
is, and the second may be a coin of
Chhatarpur State It is certainly true that the
Chhatarpur mint re-opened or stayed open as
the mint for the independent and separate
Chhatarpur State. It clearly did not open for
the first time in 1816 AD.
The third coin in Fig.1 also seems to have the
regnal year 35, but no date. The first two,
despite the differences between them, bear a
strong ‘family resemblance’ to each other,
and to the preceding series of rupees, struck
for Panna state. Other copies of the
Chhatarpur mint rupees, such as the third
coin in Fig. 1, exist in some numbers, but little
is known about them at present. Some of
these have what might be a crudely executed
Chhatarpur mint name; others do not, and
most seem to have nothing legible in the
place usually occupied by a mint name. It is
often suggested, not without reason, that
they may well be Maratha coins, particularly
as some appear to bear parts of the mint
name ‘Ravishnagar Sagar’.

4
Figure 1. Two rupees of Chhatarpur mint, dated after the independence of Chhatarpur State, and
a copy, of unknown attribution.The first two coins have Shah Alam II legends and the second may
have similar legends, but the calligraphy is barbarous. Weights respectively 11.1, 11.0g. and 10.9g.
approx. Dates: “312” (for 1203?)/30 and 1227(sic!)/35 for the coins presumed to be of Chhatarpur
state, and RY35(?) for the later copy of unknown attribution.

Bijawar State

Rulers of Bijawar State. (ix)

Date AD. Date AH. Ruler
1765 1178/79 Bijawar state founded
Title – Rajas
1765 – 1793 1178/79 – 1207/08 Bir Singh Deo
1793 - 1802 1207/08 – 1216/17 Himmat Bahadur
1802 - Dec 1810 1217/17 – 1225 Keshri Singh
1811 – 1833 1225 – 1248/49 Ratan Singh
1833 – 1847 1248/49 1263 Lakshman Singh
23 Nov 1847– 1866 1263 – 1282/83 Bham Pratap Singh
Title – Maharaja ( from 1877 Sawai Maharaja)
1866 - 1899 1282/83 – 1316/17 Bham Pratap Singh
Jun 1899 - 30 Oct 1940 Savant Singh
Oct 1940 - 15 Aug 1947 Govind Singh

Bijawar State coins
The Krause Publications
catalogues illustrate this
series with a photograph of
a single rupee, which has
been given the catalogue
number KM.15.
It is crudely struck on a
dumpy flan from which the
date and mint name are
missing, if they had ever been on the die in the first place. The
regnal year of this piece, which is almost off the flan in the
example shown, has apparently been read as ‘4’. A similar coin,
also dated ‘4’ or ‘4x’ is shown as the first coin in Fig.2 below.
Since these coins are in the name of Shah Alam II (1759-1806
AD), RY 4 would indicate a date of about 1763 AD., before the
state of Bijawar existed.
It is therefore considered more likely that the correct reading
would be “4x”, which would put the date of the coin at about
1799-1808 AD. This is speculative, and it could be argued that
the coins might have been issued from a second Panna state
mint, at Bijawar. As far as I know, there is no historical basis for

5
this suggestion. We could,
by reference to the name of
the piece, “Ratan Shahi”, as
reported by Mr. John Allan
in his catalogue (ii),
tentatively determine the
probable ruler at the time
of its introduction or use.
Ratan Singh ruled Bijawar
from about 1811 AD until
about 1831 or 1833 AD,
and the Bijawar rupee, if
such it is, is presumed to
have been struck during
that period.
This type of rupee is
reported to have continued
in production until the mint
was closed (in 1892 or 1897
AD, depending on which
authority we follow) by
order of the British
administration. The Krause
coin type reportedly
weighed between 10.7 and
11.6 grammes, but these
figures in Krause catalogues
are often unreliable. The
coin shown below weighs
10.6 grammes. These coins
are scarce. There is another candidate for the Bijawar rupee,
and it is illustrated on p.415 of Dr. Mitchiner’s book on State
coins (iii), and as the second coin in Fig. 2 below.
All similar coins seen in this study (30 or more) weigh about
10.9 grammes and bear the regnal year 25, which is usually on
the flan. These coins are so superabundant, even today, that
the long period suggested for their production does not seem
far-fetched. Dr. Mitchiner’s coin also weighs 10.9 grammes and
bears the regnal year 25. The mint name is usually off the flans
of these coins.
The mint name has not been seen, so far as I know, on the coins
of the first type, and it is rarely seen on coins of the second
type., where it has been read as both ‘Bijawar’ and as ‘Zarb
Chhatarpur’. So even an attribution to Bijawar depends on the
evidence of Mr. John Allan, as cited above, and, in turn, upon
his own sources. The picture in the Krause Publications
catalogues appears to be a copy of that in Mr. Allan’s catalogue,
and so adds no useful information.
Although Mr. Allan includes a second rupee of Bijawar (not
illustrated) in his catalogue, I have not been able to obtain a
picture of it, nor of any other coins, nor even an
acknowledgement of my inquiry, from the museum concerned
(The Provincial Museum, Lucknow). RY 25 fell during the reign
of Bir Singh Deo, and well before the reign of Ratan Singh. Did
Bijawar state strike the lightweight RY 25 rupees, and then later
strike coins of the type with the regnal year 4x shown in Fig.2,
or any other coins? As yet, we do not know.

...
Fig. 2 Two possible candidates for the Bijawar rupee These coins area crudely engraved rupees of
the Chhatarpur mint type, similar to those attributed to Bijawar state in the catalogues above
quoted. The first is thought to be an example of the coin type shown as Bijawar KM.15 in the
Krause catalogues and the one shown in John Allen’s catalogue, although this coin shows a different
part of the die. The regnal year is ‘4’, or more likely ‘4x’, like the coin illustrated in those catalogues,
and the weight is about 10.6 grammes. The second bears the regnal year 25, and weighs marginally
below 10.9 grammes. The mint name is partially on the flan, but is so crudely engraved that it has
been read as both “Chhatarpur” and “Zarb Bijawar”. An example with more of the mint name
showing, or with the mint name better engraved is required before the mystery can be satisfactorily
cleared up. Both coins were photographed in India in 2008

6
Bijawar coins appear to be,
as suggested in the
catalogues cited, copies of
those of Chhatarpur and
Panna, but it is not known
AD. Date.
1765
Title - Raja
1765 – 1782
1782 – 1829
1829 – 1860
1860 – 1880
1889 – 1908
1908 – 1914
1914 – 1920
1920 – 1941
1941 – 1947
Charkhari State history and
coins
The tiny state of Charkhari
stands astride the River
Ken, and its capital town
was also called Charkhari.
It was surrounded by
Orchha, Bijawar and
Chhatarpur States. The
foundation of the state
dates from 1765 AD.
After Raja Chhatarsal had
divided his territory into
inheritances for his sons
(see above), various deaths
and succession disputes
intervened before Parhar
Singh brought stability back
whether the regnal years engraved on the Bijawar dies refer to
a period specific to Bijawar, are identical, year for year, with
those on Panna and Chhatarpur coins, or are fictitious, or fixed
and irrelevant. Hence it is, at present, impossible to put a firm
date to coins of either type.
Charkhari State
Rulers of Charkhari State..(ix)
AH. Date. Ruler
1178/79 Charkhari State founded
1178/79 – 1196/97 Khuman Singh
1196/97 1244/45 Bikramajit Singh
1244/45 – 1276/77 Ratan Singh
1276/77 – 1297 Jai Singh Deo
1297 - 1326 Malkhan Singh
Jhujar Singh
Ganga Singh
Arimardan Singh
Jagendra Singh
to the area by force. He settled Charkhari on Khuman Singh
who ruled it from 1765 to 1782AD. He was followed on the
gaddi by Bijai Bikramajit Bahadur Singh (1782-1829 AD with a
short gap when he was driven out of his state, after which he
was reinstated by Ali Bahadur, during his invasion of
Bundelkhand in 1797/98 AD). He was followed by Ratan Singh
(1829-1860 AD) and Jai Singh Deo (1860-1879 AD). Bikramajit
Singh was confirmed by British sanads in 1804 and 1811 AD.
Ratan Singh also received British sanads. Jai Singh Deo’s
administrative powers were withdrawn by the British. (i)
Charkhari’s currency was described as “The Srinagari rupee
struck at Rath and the Raja Shahi struck at the mint in
Charkhari town”. Charkhari town was also known as
Maharajnagar (vii). This local coinage was replaced by British
coinage in 1864 AD. Ken Wiggins, in his book on Maratha
coinage, cited above, co-authored with Kamal Maheshwari,
states that Rath was “……….at one time in the Jaitpur Raj, but
was taken by Himmat Bahadur during his campaign in
7
Bundelkhand. A mint was please refer to page 130 of Ken Wiggins’ book for a brief but
set up…(and)…..the rupee lucid account of Bundelkhand during this turbulent period.
struck was known as the
Srinagari: evidently another I know of nowhere else that any Charkhari coinage is reliably
copy of the rupee of catalogued or discussed. However, there are several types of
Srinagar. They are coinage in existence, clearly copied from Srinagar, Kora and
reported to have been Chhatarpur coins and almost certainly struck at about the right
exported to Charkhari”. time, and currently loosely described as emanating from
‘uncertain central-Indian mints’. Such chieftaincies were often
The original Srinagari rupee short-lived, and consisted of small districts that were
is well enough known, and themselves fluid as regards borders. The chiefs of these places
specimens are illustrated in constituted the groups loosely described as local warlords and
the KM catalogues as Grassia chiefs. The third rupee illustrated above in Fig.1 is just
KM.247, 248 and 249: also one example of the coins struck by such chiefs. Among such we
in Wiggins and may some day be able to recognise the short-lived independent
Maheshwari’s book on page currency of Charkhari, among those of other places, but we
129 as types T.1, 1a and 1b. shouldn’t hold our breath!
These particular rupees
were struck at Srinagar in There is one other coin to mention here, a copper double
Bundelkhand, but, as Ken paisa(?) weighing about 15.3grammes, which has been
Wiggins reports, there are a tentatively attributed to Mahoba (Maratha) mint by
number of known types Maheshwari and Wiggins. I mention it only because an eminent
that are copies of those numismatist in Mumbai has read the bottom line of the reverse
rupees, some of which may as ‘Charkhari’. Other experts do not agree with his reading, but
have been struck at Rath. perhaps the matter is not yet settled.
Interested readers will
Panna State
Rulers of Panna State. (ix)
AD Date AH Date Ruler
c.1450 c. 828 Predecessor state founded
1731 1143/44 Panna State founded
Title - Raja
1675 - 1731 1178/79 – 1143/44 Chhatrasal
1731 - 1739 1143/44 – 1151/52 Hardesah Singh
1739 - 1752 1151/52 – 1165/66 Sabha Singh
1752 - 1758 1165/66 – 1171/72 Aman Singh
1758 - 1778 1171/72 – 1192 Hindupat Singh
1778 - 1779 1192 – 1193 Anirudh Singh
1779 - 1785 1193 – 1199/1200 Interregnum (civil war)
1785 - 1798 1199/1200 – 1212/13 Dhokal Singh
1798 - 1840 1212/13 – 1255/56 Kishor Singh
1840 - 1849 1255/56 – 1265 Harbans Rai
1849 – 1869 } 1265 – 1285/86 Nripat Singh as Raja
Title - Maharaja}
1869 – 1870 } 1285/86 – 1286/87 Nripat Singh as Maharaja
1870 – 1893 1286/87 – 1310/11 Rudra Pratap Singh
1893 – 1898 1310/11 – 1315/16 Lokpal Singh
1898 – 1902 Madho Singh
1902 – 1947 Yadvendra Singh

8
Panna coins, minted at
Chhatarpur
The Panna rupee minted at
Chhatarpur was known
locally as “Raja Shahi” (not
a very useful name) and
displays parts of Shah Alam
II’s “fadl Allah” couplet,
crudely executed, along
with some very distinctive
symbols or marks. The
most noticeable of these is
the large, stalked Sunflower
(not a sun-burst, because
bursts do not have stalks)
between the words “Alam”
and “Badshah” on the
obverse face. In positions
marked 1 and 2 in Fig. 3 below, left of the sunflower and right of
the ‘mim’ of ‘Alam’, there are two symbols that vary from coin
to coin. There is also, on the reverse, a quatrefoil to the right of
the regnal year and another in the loop of the “S” of fulus and
another mark, resembling a flywhisk, below the word “sanat”,
respectively marked 3, 4 and 5 in Fig. 3. The last three symbols
mentioned appear to remain constant throughout the series.
The coins examined all weighed between 11.1 and 11.3
grammes approximately (one worn example with regnal year 25
weighed only 10.9grammes). The weight stated for the
Chhatarpur rupees in KM catalogues is 10.7-11.6g., and this is
clearly too wide a range. Dr. Mitchiner states that his coin
weighed 10.9 grammes, similar to the weights found for the
possible Bijawar rupees in this study. Some coins examined
displayed parts of symbols in other, more marginal positions
than those mentioned above, but these were fragmentary and
are typically wholly or nearly off the flan. The mint-name
“Chhatarpur”, absent from many specimens, is at the bottom of
the reverse face.

Figure 3. Positions of the five symbols discussed above. It is not common for all five symbols to
be fully visible on a single specimen. Coins without definitely recognisable parts of both symbols at
positions 1 and 2 on the obverse cannot be fitted into this scheme of classification. Symbols at
positions 3, 4 and 5 remained essentially unchanged on all coins examined, where they were visible,
and have therefore been ignored in this study

Up to RY 17, the coins have
the date to the right of the
word ‘Muhammad’ in the
top line of the obverse
legend, but this part of the
die is rarely visible, and
consequently, these coins
are frequently described as
undated.
The few date/year
combinations I have seen
are listed in table B. below.
From these few dates, I
tentatively suggest that they are probably the correct dates vis-
a vis the regnal years.
From RY 18, the date moves to the middle of the bottom line of
the legend. Coins with the RY 18 are dated AH 1190. This is
towards the end of the reign of Hindupat, and the reason for
this date being chosen for such a change is obscure.
From RY 19 to RY 26, the date is AH1192. AH 1192 is the
succession year of Anirudh, and that is probably the reason for
the date change. Coins with RY 27 are dated AH 1199. AH.
1199 falls almost entirely in 1785 AD., the accession year of
Dhokal Singh, and his installation was probably the reason for
this date change. Coins with regnal year 20 have been seen

9
with the date 1129, but it is
safe to assume that this is
an error for 1192. Coins
with regnal years above 27
are coins of the Chhatarpur
state, and are discussed in
the section of this paper
that deals with that series.
After R.Y.17, the date,
when present, divides the
Persian words “haft
kashuar (kishwar)……zad
dar” (struck in…….the seven
climes). The complete “fadl
Allah” couplet of Shah Alam
II reads, in translation:
“Struck coin in the seven
climes, the shadow of divine
favour: defender of the
religion of Muhammad,
Emperor Shah Alam [‘King
of the world’]”
This couplet was used on
coins from a number of
Mughal, Native State and
Maratha mints, including
those at nearby
Ravishnagar Sagar, (Saugor)
and Kora. Those early coins
of Kora appear to have
been used as a model for
the Panna (Chhatarpur
mint) rupees, with the Kora
symbol of a trident being
replaced by the Chhatarpur
mintmark of a sunflower.
The series finishes in
1784/85, with a coin
bearing the regnal year 27,
which was at the end of the
interregnum and civil war,
and marks the breaking up
of Panna State, and the
founding of Chhatarpur,
Bijawar and Charkhari
states as independent
entities. It may be
presumed that some coins
with regnal year 27 will prove to be coins of Chhatarpur State,
and it is not clear at present whether rupees of the two polities
can be differentiated in R.Y.27. The coin in Table B is almost
certainly a Panna State issue. Coins of the civil war period
appear to be somewhat scarcer than most other years.
The mint name, when present, is at the bottom of the obverse
face. It reads “Chhatarpur” (literally “Che Te P W R”) with
another word above and to the left. This word is not “zarb”
(struck at) as might be expected, but could be read as “sharh”
(town) (vi). The three-dot diacritical mark above the Sh of sharh
seems to have been displaced, on at least some of the coins
examined, to the spot above the Wa of the mint name. Only
the very beginning of the word appears on most flans, and is
often entirely absent.
The coins themselves are somewhat variable in fabric, quality of
engraving and execution of strike, but the weight varies little
from coin to coin. The best are as good as any other hand-
struck rupees from central India, but the worst are significantly
cruder. The earlier coins are usually the best in terms of
execution, including calligraphy and engraving.
They are also, on average, marginally the heaviest. This possibly
reflects the steadily deteriorating political, economic and
security situation during the twenty-five years or so over which
they were struck. The quality of the silver, from its appearance,
may also have become progressively more debased as time
went by. The design or ‘Type’ remained constant throughout
the period, excepting, of course, the change in the position of
the date, mentioned above.
The symbols 3 to 5 display only slight changes from time to
time, as would be expected on coins struck over a protracted
period, from hand made dies. The combination of the symbols
in the positions 1 and 2 does vary from coin to coin, and it is
upon this combination of symbols or marks that classification of
these coins must depend, not on one symbol only, as used in
the Krause catalogues. Exceptionally, one coin seen during this
study, with the regnal year 17 had two symbols in position 1,
one of which replaced the three diacritical dots over the Sh in
the word ‘badshah’.
The sunflower may fairly be regarded as the mintmark of
Chhatarpur mint, and hence, of Panna state before it was
dismembered. It is also present on the later coins, those of
Chhatarpur State and, probably, Bijawar State as well. It has a
dot (round or lozenge-shaped, stalked or not) in place of the
top-most ‘petal’ in almost all coins noticed in this study, but the
10
significance of this (if there
is any) can only be guessed
at present.
The symbols
Drawings of all symbols
noted at positions 1 and 2
in this study are shown in
table A below. The
drawings are not to any
constant scale. Readers of
the JONS should please be
aware that I have reduced
the number of ‘flower’
symbols, because I have
become convinced that
some varieties shown in
that earlier paper are
aberrations, inevitable
when dies are cut by hand,
or attributable to
‘creativity’ on the part of the engraver. I have also decided to
refer to them as ‘plants’, which is a more accurate description.
The variation is so wide in the plants with 5 heads, however,
that I have included some of the most distinctive varieties of
type (iv) both to show the kind of variation I have ‘lumped
together’, and also to record that variation, rather than ignore
something that may later prove to be significant. On some
coins there is a small group of three dots above and between
symbol 1 and the head of the sunflower. This little mark may or
may not be significant. Its presence or absence has been
recorded in table B below in the ‘dots’ column, where Y or N
means present or absent. It is not the misplaced three-dot
diacritical mark for the ‘Sh’ of ‘Badshah’, because both groups
of dots appear on many examples
The symbols in Table “A” have been found in the combinations
shown in Tables “B” and “C”. The Krause-Mishler (KM.)
numbers are also shown, where the variety appears to have
been included in the KM varieties listing. The KM. date listing
for Chhatarpur, however, should be regarded as a work of pure
fiction.
11
Table (A) The symbols found in positions (1) and (2) on Panna and similar rupees. (Not to scale)

12
Table B. Panna State, Chhatarpur mint.
The symbols found in positions 1 and 2, and other details found on the varieties of these coins
examined

R. Yr. Symbol at Position Symbol at Position 2. Dot KM. My AH date

1. s number number
None
1
2
3 Winged dots (i) Group of 7 dots N 10.03a
4 Winged dots (i) Group of 7 dots N 10.4a
5 Opening bud Group of 7 dots 10.5a
6 Lotus Group of 7 dots Y 10.6a
Chakra (6 rays) Group of 7 dots Y KM.20 10.6b 1179
7 Chakra (9 rays) Group of 7 dots N KM.20 10.7a
Chakra (7 rays) Group of 7 dots Y KM.20 10.7b
8 Chakra (7 rays) Group of 7 dots Y KM.20 10.8a
Up-turned Group of 7 dots Y 10.8b 118(0?)
crescent
9 Winged dots (i) Trident (i) N KM.15.1 10.9a
10 Winged dots (ii) Trident (ii) N KM.15.1 10.10a
Winged dots (ii) 8 dots and circle N KM.15.2 10.10b
11 Winged dots (ii) Trident (ii) N KM.15.1 10.11a 1185
12 Group of 5 dots Trident (ii) N KM.15.1 10.12a
Cross with 4 dots Trident (ii) N KM.15.1 10.12b
13 Group of 5 dots Trident (ii) N 10.13a
Group of 5 dots Retrograde ‘f’ shape N 10.13b
14 Group of 5 dots Group of 5 dots N 10.14a
15 Group of 5 dots Group of 5 dots N 10.15a
Circle and 8 dots Chakra (6 rays) N 10.15b
16 Chakra (6 rays) Group of 7 dots N KM.15.2 10.16a
8 dots and a circle Chakra (6 rays) N KM.17 10.16b
17 Up-turned Group of 6 commass N 10.17a
crescent 3 dots and a circle N 10.17b
Narrow leaf with Group of 5 dots N 10.17c
droplet Group of 7 dots N KM.20 10.17d DATES To
Cross and 4 dots Group of 6 commas N 10.17e Be Added
Chakra (6 rays) Plant (iv) N 10.17f
AND plant (i) N
Narrow leaf with
droplet
Narrow leaf with
droplet

Table Contined on next page …

13
R. Yr. Symbol at Position Symbol at Position 2. Dots KM. My AH date
1. number number
18 Trident (vi) Retrograde Nagari “1” N 10.18a 1190
Narrow leaf with Plant (iv) N 10.18b 1190
droplet Plant (iv) N 10.18c 119x
Trident (vi)
19 Ankus Plant (iv) Y 10.19a 1196 for
1192
20 Symbol off flan Plant (iv) 10.20a. 1129 for
Battle-axe Plant (iv) Y prov. 1192
10.20b 1192
21 Quatrefoil trident Plant (iv) Y 10.21a
heads Trident (ii) Y 10.21b 1192
Battle-axe Plant (i) N 10.21c 1192
Chakra (6 rays) Plant (iv) N 10.21d 1192
Battle-axe
22 Quatrefoil (ii) Plant (i) N 10.22a 1192
Opening bud Plant (iv) N 10.22b 1192
Up-turned Plant (iv) N 10.22c
crescent Plant (i) N 10.22d
Opening bud Plant (iv) N 10.22e
Upturned crescent
23 Double pennant Plant (iv) N 10.23a 1192
24 Double pennant Plant (iv) Y 10.24b 1192
Group of 5 dots Plant (iv) Y 10.24b 1192
Group of 5 dots Plant (i) Y 10.24c 1192
Double pennant Plant (i) Y 19 10.24d 1192
25 Down-turned Plant (iv) Y 10.25a 1192
crescent Plant (i) Y 10.25b 1192
Single pennant Group of 5 dots Y 10.25c 1192
Double pennant Plant iv Y 10.25d 1192
Ankus
26 Mace Plant (iv) Y 10.26a 1192
Group of 7 dots Plant (iv) Y 10.26b 1192
27 Flower head of Trident (vi) N 10.27a 1199
tear drops

14
Table C. Chhatarpur State and miscellaneous other coins discussed above.
The symbols found in positions 1 and 2, and other details found on the varieties of these coins
examined

Chhatarpur State coins

begin here. *
28
29
30 Scimitar 8 dots and a circle N Chhat. 1 312 for
1203
31
32
33
34
35 Trident (iv) Plant (ii) N Chhat. 2 1227(sic!)
Possible Bijawar coins. *
25 N Bij. 1
4x Symbol off flan Circle with 10 dots N 15 Bij. 2 **
Other coins possibly from same series. May be
copies from elsewhere.
35 Trident (v) Plant (v)

*Details of the probable Chhatarpur and Bijawar State coins have been added to the tables.
** Although the Bijawar coin with RY 4x shows a different part of the die from that shown in the
Krause illustration of KM.15 under the entry for Bijawar, it appears to be of the same type, and has
been shown as such in the table a above.

Additional note on the RY
25 rupees of
Chhatarpur/Bijawar
There appear to be two
kinds of year 25 rupees.
The first is the normal
Chhatarpur mint rupees
weighing 10.9 to 11.1
grammes, and the second is
a much cruder product, on
narrower, thicker flans, and
weighing about 10.7 to 10.9
grammes. Most of the year
25 coins are of the latter
sort. This is not true for the Chhatarpur minted rupees of any
other year or date. The flans of coins of RY 25 can be roughly
split between those whose diameters are about 18 mm., and
those whose flans are dumpier, at around 15 to 17 mm, and
whose calligraphy tends to be cruder. There are some coins
intermediate between these two kinds, so the picture is not
clear-cut. I have never seen a date, and only on one occasion, a
mint name on the dumpier kind of flan, and I have tended to
regard them as the ones most likely to have been issued by
Bijawar. I have attributed the wider, ‘better’ coins to
Chhatarpur under Panna State. This is simply because the
catalogues tell us that the Bijawar rupees are dumpier, lighter
versions of the year 25 Chhatarpur rupees. There is , however,
another kind of (probably) Bijawar rupee, and that is the KM 15
coin, with regnal year 4 or 4x. The matter is not yet resolved.

15
 Conclusions
From the evidence
expounded and
summarised above, I 27 coins) were struck after the independence of Chhatarpur
conclude that there are not,
as described in
the Krause catalogues,
several types of Chhatarpur
rupee, but one type only,
up to RY 27 of Shah Alam II,
with one or more sub-types
or varieties for each regnal
year, defined by the
symbols in positions (1) and
(2) . These coins are not
coins of Chhatarpur State,
but of Panna State,
Chhatarpur mint. The AH.
changes to the mostly fixed dates after AH. 1190 seem to be
related to the starts of new reigns.
Coins with regnal years higher than 27 (and probably some RY
from Panna, and are coins of Chhatarpur State. Similar coins
may be have been struck in other states that split away from
Panna after the civil war period, or might be copies of
Chhatarpur mint rupees made by neighbouring polities, or both.
I have referred to the rupee as Panna type 10, and have
allocated the regnal year as sub-type or variety. The
combination of symbols - one or more combination for each
regnal year - have been given the suffices a, b, c etc.. Please see
column 6 of tables B and C.
Polite request to readers
I would be grateful to hear from any person who wishes to offer
additional details for inclusion in the above tables. Please let
me know the regnal year and the symbols you find in positions
16
1 and 2, along with the also like to hear of similar coins with any readable mint names.
date, including an A scan, photograph or drawing will be gratefully received – ‘a
indication of whether any picture is worth a thousand words’ - and I will be happy to
of its numerals is reimburse any reasonable expenses incurred. I will compile all
retrograde, or in any way replies received into the tables (A), (B) and (C), and circulate
wrongly engraved. State copies to all contributors, from time to time. Readers outside
the position of the date, India please note that I am still interested in acquiring coins of
and any variation of the these types, with new combinations of date, RY and symbols,
symbols 3 to 5. I would which may be available for purchase, for my personal collection.

End Notes.
1).Dilip Rajgor, in his monograph “Collectors’ Guide to Mughal Coins” intimates on page 32 that
Chhatarpur was a Mughal mint which struck specie for Shah Alam II. C J Brown’s “Catalogue of
Coins in the Provincial Museum Lucknow” (v) lists seven such coins, all of which are apparently of
the type(s) attributed by Krause and other modern cataloguers to the Native (‘Princely’) State of
Chhatarpur, and which are the main subject of this paper. One of these (#4873) is illustrated on
Plate XX, and it is clearly of this type, and does not belong to the Mughal series at all. All the dates
and regnal years of the coins in Mr. Brown’s catalogue are in the range outlined above for the Panna
type, and are therefore believed to be Panna rupees struck at Chhatarpur mint whilst it was part of
the Panna territory. It must be remembered that the excellent catalogue published by Mr. Brown
was written at a time when all coins bearing Mughal inscriptions were, by default, attributed to the
Mughal Emperor whose inscriptions they were. A very great number of such coins are now more
correctly attributed to the Native (‘Princely’) States and “Independent Kingdoms” (with which, along
with Sikh, Maratha and some other polities, they could usefully and logically be combined, within
the inclusive and more helpful description of the “Mughal Successor States”) (iii). It is easy to forget
just how young the modern science of sub-continental numismatics is, and how much we owe to
very recent researchers. We may, perhaps, ask why, in the 21st century, Mr Rajgor thought it proper
to include Chhatarpur mint in a listing of “Mughal Mints” when it is now generally accepted that it
was never such. However, a brief inspection of Mr Rajgor’s list of “Mughal mints” indicates that it
includes a number of other mints that never struck specie for a Mughal emperor, but did so for
other, independent and semi-independent authorities, in the name of one or more Mughal
emperor. If this were his intention, perhaps it would have been less confusing to beginners and
experienced collectors alike if he had made this clear in his book, which is otherwise a useful
reference work.

2).Prinsep, in his “Useful Tables”, states that the Chhatarpur mint dates from 1816 AD, and that it
was closed by the British in 1882 AD. He is silent about the possibility of the mint operating prior to
this date under the auspices of Panna State. Mitchiner follows him, stating that these rupees were
struck between “about 1816 and 1882 AD”. This now appears to be an error. It is, of course,
certain that some rupees were struck at the Chhatarpur mint after Chhatarpur became independent
from Panna, as I indicate above, but they were not of the type apparently referred to by Mr. Prinsep
and Dr. Mitchiner.

3).Dr. Mitchiner suggests that the regnal years on “Chhatarpur” rupees may refer to the time since
the founding of the state “in 1806 AD”. Most authorities agree that the founding of the state
actually dates from 1785 AD. If Dr. Mitchiner were correct, known coins, from their dates and
regnal years, would have been struck between 1789 and 1811 AD, and hence that suggestion seems
unlikely to be correct. Dr. Mitchiner further states that these coins were last struck for Jagat Singh
between 1854 and 1867 AD. Such coins would logically be expected to carry regnal years from 48 of
Shah Alam II and the regnal years and legends of Bahadur Shah II or Queen Victoria. The latest
number for a regnal year seen in this study for that type of coin was 27 for Panna, 35 for Chhatarpur

17
state, and a tentative RY 4x for a possible Bijawar coin. Some years above 29 have also been seen
on later copies, probably from outside these states. The partial mint name on the RY 25 rupee of
Bijawar(?) muddies rather than clears the waters, but other specimens will, no doubt, allow a more
accurate reading of that name.

4).Students of Native State coins have been struck by the close resemblance of the Panna rupees
here described to the Kora rupees bearing regnal years 1 to 5 of Shah Alam II, which are included in
the “Peshwa’s Mints” section of the Krause catalogues, as Maratha types KM.160-163 inclusive.
Indeed, if we replace the trident on these coins with the sunflower mintmark of the Chhatarpur
mint, we probably could not tell the resultant hybrid coins from normal Panna rupees. Even many
of the symbols found on the Kora series are identical with (or nearly so) those found on Panna coins.
There can be little doubt that the model for the Panna rupees was that attractive coin from just
across the river, the identity of whose originator is, for the time being, uncertain. It was not, by
common consent, the Peshwa. Other local rulers took the same design, or a pre-existing copy of it,
modified it, and issued similar coins for use in their own and adjacent territories. To date, we do not
have a very clear idea as to the origin of many of these coins, or their intended sphere of circulation.
Incidentally, the splitting of those Kora rupees into a number of types by Krause, seems to be wrong
for the same reasons that apply to the Panna coins of the Chhatarpur mint described here.

5).As well as the Kora rupees mentioned above, the rupees included under the Awadh entry as KM
36 of ‘Muhammadabad Banares’ mint, and as KM 116 of Najibabad mint in the Krause catalogues,
are two other examples of series with many variations in symbol being treated as if every change in
symbol ushers in a new type or sub-type. I suggest that these series require to be treated as single
types, each with one catalogue number, and that the changes in symbol need to be studied and
elucidated. Other series could benefit from the same treatment. Some people would rather
abandon the Krause catalogues altogether, because of the muddle caused by the inclusion of
erroneous data and incorrectly read coins submitted by inexperienced contributors, and the useless
order of entries in recent issues of the Century editions. However, would it not be better if the
errors and omissions could be rectified? Alternatively, does someone among us relish the task of
producing from scratch, a worthy replacement for the India section of the Krause catalogues, and
then keep it updated every year? A brave attempt was made recently by S C Gupta (Coins of Indian
States Pt.1), but it was not very successful because one man cannot cope with such an enormous
corpus of material. An experienced and dedicated team, such as used to work for Krause
publications, would be required.

Bibliography and Acknowledgements..

(i) “Imperial Gazetteer”, 1908, vol. VIII was the source of much of the historical material, but a
number of other historical sources were consulted.
(ii) “Catalogue of the Coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, Vol. IV - Coins of Native States” John
Allan, reprint by Indological Book Corporation, 1976, New Delhi.
(iii) “Oriental Coins and their Values - The World of Islam”, Michael Mitchiner, Hawkins Publications,
London, 1977.
(iv) “The Standard Guide to South Asian Coins and Paper Money since 1556AD”, Krause
Publications,1980, Iola, USA., and subsequent editions of the same publisher’s “Catalogue of World
Coins” (Century editions).
(v) “Catalogue of Coins in the Provincial Museum, Lucknow”, C J Brown, published by R C Senior Ltd,
Oxford Clarendon Press (first printed 1920) reprinted 1976.
(vi) This was read by Stan Goron
(vii) “Maratha Mints and Coinage”, K K Maheshwari and Kenneth W Wiggins, IIRNS, Nasik, 1989.
are mine.

18
(viii) Some aspects of this subject were discussed with Stan Goron, Shailendra Bhandere, Jan Lingen
and others, and my thanks are due to them for their helpful input. However, the use I made of their
input, the views expressed and the errors made are mine.
(ix) The Ruler Lists used in this article are based on the lists available on the website
“WorldStatesmen.org” with some modification and additional information. The state flags were
lifted from the same site, and I acknowledge this with gratitude to the owner of the site.

About The Author:

Barry Tabor was born in 1945 at Bishop’s Stortford
in Hertfordshire, England and educated at
Newport (Essex) Grammar School and Manchester
University. He then worked for the Home Office
(Prisons Department), a number of Local
Government municipalities and finally retired
from an audit job with an Agricultural Company in
Ely, Cambridgeshire in 2005.

He started randomly collecting Indian coins in

1997. Having found the massive corpus of those
st
coins from ancient times to the 21 century just
too overwhelming, he soon restricted his studies
and collecting activities to the late Mughals, Indian
Native States, Marathas, European Colonial
Powers and the Sikhs.

Through membership of the ONS, he was

fortunate to meet and become friends with a
number of experts in the field, most of whom
were very willing to encourage new interest and
educate a beginner in this strange world of
collecting coins from India.

He wishes to especially mention the late, great Ken Wiggins, Jan Lingen, Dr. Shailendra Bhandare,
Stan Goron, Chandrasekhar Gupta, Sri Lal Dennison, Rajesh Somkuwar, Raju Bhatt, Frank
Timmermann, Ashok Singh Thakur, Kamal Maheshwari, Prashant Kulkarni, Stephen Album,
Kashinath Pandit and so many more – historians, epigraphers and linguists, as well as numismatists.

He conveys his apologes to those who should be named here, but whom, through forgetfulness he
might have omitted. He feels he did not meet many who begrudged time, effort or the sharing of
what they had discovered, and the very few who fell short in such matters do not, in his opinion,
deserve a mention, anyway.

He stated above that my gurus have included historians. That, he feels, is particularly important.
Without at least a basic comprehension of the history, how can one begin to understand our coins?
He encourages anybody who wants to know what his coins mean to read a little history.

19
Among the fine people listed above, some readers will probably notice a few that have rarely or
never been outside India. Barry has enjoyed half a dozen trips to that complicated but enchanting
country. He has worked on ‘meeting’ coin buffs, including dealers, via e-mail and the internet (a
blessing and a curse if ever there was one!) and then meeting some of them in India.

Some of them have been unstinting in their kindness and generosity in showing him and his wife
around their localities, introducing him to other like-minded souls and even entertaining the couple
in their own homes. There are no more open, friendly, busy, generous people on earth, as far as
Barry has seen, and he encourage all non-Indians who collect Indian coins and who have not already
done so, to take the first opportunity to go there and place themselves in the hands of trusted local
enthusiasts.

He have published a few small articles, mostly in the Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society
(and its fore-runner, the ONS Newsletter), but also in a number of periodicals in India. None of it
has been done for profit, but in an attempt to understand and interpret Indian history and coinages
since the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate until the British assumed the rulership of the whole
country from their rivals for power, the Maratha Confederacy – and help others do so, too.

Generally speaking, this is a well-documented period of about three centuries of complex and
colourful history, albeit there are numerous examples of contradictions, errors and biased reporting
among the many versions of that history commonly available.

It is surprising just how much of the numismatic corpus was poorly covered by the coin catalogues
in circulation, and how many errors and omissions are to be found among their pages. The Oriental
Numismatic Society (or, rather its active membership) have done a great deal since about 1980 to
dispel ignorance and encourage students and experts to share their knowledge, experience and
other intellectual property they have picked up over the years. But there is still a great deal of work
to be done.

Onwards and upwards !!

Barry Tabor can be contacted at: barrytabor@aol.com

Indian Coins Encyclopedia (www.IndianCoins.Org) is thankful to Barry for allowing us to publish and
distribute this document free as part of the Coins Encyclopedia project. You can download
numerous free PDF volumes on Indian coins and other numismatic subjects from the above website

WWW.IndianCoins.Org is a project of Shastri Numismatics Academy

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