Sikh coinage, known as sikke, refers to the coins issued by various Sikh states for commercial purposes and as symbols of sovereignty. Sikh coinage may vary by region, such as Majha versus Malwa or trans-Sutlej versus cis-Sutlej. Coins from various Sikh states have been discovered, namely Banda's short-lived state, the misls of the Sikh Confederacy, the Sikh Empire, and coins from the Sikh polities of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Bhadaur, Kaithal, Kalsia, Faridkot, and Buria/Jagadhri. Kapurthala State did not issue their own coinage. Another tradition was Sikh temple-tokens. Some fakes, forgeries, and hoax coins also exist.
Terminology The Punjabi word for coins is sikkā, which is borrowed from a Persian word, meaning both "a die for coining" and "rule, law, regulation" (implying sovereignty). Coinage issued pre-1777 are termed Gobindshahis whilst coins issued post-1777 are called Nanakshahis. The coinage minted by Patiala State from 1767 onwards are termed Rajeshahis. Coins issued by Jind State are known as Jindias whilst those issued by Nabha State are called Nabhashahis.
Earlier Sikh coinage issued by Banda Singh Bahadur (1709–1715) and misls of the Sikh Confederacy (1748–1799) are termed Gobindshahis. The "Gobindshahi" term conveys the message that they belong to or are dedicated to the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Coins struck in the name of the gurus are called Nanakshahis. Coins struck that are related to Bibi Moran are term Moranshahis. Other terminology includes Gurushahi and Nazrana.
Structure and symbols
Traditionally in the Punjab, coins struck contained either a bust of or an inscription of the name of the ruler and an inscription on the other side with their reigning years, however Sikh coins differed from the earlier format in-that they do not usually contain information about the ruler under whose reign they were struck, rather being dedicated to the Sikh gurus. Sikhs coins are an imitation of earlier Muslim and Mughal designs, whose prototype consisted of a kalima on one side and the name of the ruler, mint, and date on the other side. Islamic coins did not feature symbols but they did contain legends. In-contrast, the Sikh coins do not bear the name of the ruler under whose reign the coin was struck but they do contain different types of symbols. They also contain legends attributed to the Sikh gurus. For example, Sikh Empire coins contain the legend: Akal Sahai Guru Nanak in various variations and formats, usually abbreviated and rarely in-full. Over-time, verses from the Guru Granth Sahib were inscribed on the coinage. Other symbols used on coins were the tegh (sword), symbolizing justice for all, and the deg (cauldron), representing food for all. The tegh and deg symbols were often counterstruck onto Mughal coins in early Sikh coinage.
Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1799/1801–1839), coins bearing the following symbols were created:
Pipal leaf – a symbol with deep-rooted religious and spiritual meanings in the Indian subcontinent. Matsaya (fish) – symbolizing dynastical growth and longevity. Shankha (conch-shell) – auspicious sign to divert evil-eye (nazar) and defeat enemies. Trisul – veneration of weaponry and divine protection. Nisan or Dhavaja (flag) – symbol of authority. Chattar (canopy, umbrella, or paiasol) – symbolized royalty and consecrated ensured victory. Sat (symbol for purity and truth) – sign of purity and authority. Kamal (lotus) – symbol of good-fortune and purity. Sakti or Sri (spear) – influence of Shaivist and Shaktist iconography. Khadag (sword or sabre) – symbol of valour, strength, and power with the ability to destroy ignorance and injustice. Katar (small sword or dagger) – symbol of power and royalty. Many of these symbols bear variations of dots, circles, and other decoratives, whose meanings have been lost. Gada or Gurj (staff or club) – martial symbolism.
Some have identified possible khanda symbols or their pre-cursors in the Sikh-era coins, although this is controversial. A Mughal coin minted in Lahore during the reign of Bahadur Shah in c. 1711–12 has been identified as possibly containing a khanda symbol, which has been described as an enigma. Hans Herrli believes the supposed khandas are actually misidentified lotus symbols or recent counter-marks.
Mints Various mints were used by the Sikhs throughout their history, some mints which have been identified are:
Khalsa Mint (Mukhlisgarh) Lahore Mint Multan Mint Amritsar Mint Anandgarh Mint Ahluwalia Mint Kashmir Mint Mankera Mint Mozang Mint Derajat Mint Peshawar Mint Dera Mint Nimak Mint Jhang Mint Najibabad Mint Islam Garh Mint (Gujrat)
Dates The dates on Sikh coins normally correspond to the traditional Bikrami calendar, which is usually 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar (except during January to April, where it is ahead by only 56 years).
Language The predominant language of Sikh coinage was Persian. As for scripts, Sikh Empire-era coinage contain examples of both Gurmukhi and Perso-Arabic scripts.
History
Banda Singh Bahadur
In early 1710, Sikh forces conquered the Sirhind Sarkar. Thus, Sikhs first had access to their own mint in 1710. The first coinage struck by the Sikhs was by Banda Singh Bahadur at his fortress in Mukhlisgarh in Himalayan foothills. His coins feature the names of the first and tenth gurus of Sikhism, along with the date of mintage.
The first Sikh coin struck by Banda Singh Bahadur bore the following inscriptions:
Sikh Confederacy
The Dal Khalsa of the Sikh Confederacy, under the command of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, occupied Lahore in November 1761. During that time, a coin was struck bearing an inscription with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia's name. Its inscription was: sikkā zad dar jahān bafazl i-akāl, mulki- ahmad shāh griftah jassā kalal ("the coin struck in the world [when] by the grace of God, Jassā Kalāl [Jassa Singh Ahluwalia] occupied the territory of Ahmad Shah [Durrani]"). However, this coin was soon re-called because it was struck in the name of an individual Sikh instead of a Sikh guru and the Jassa's name was truncated. Another viewpoint is that this coin was struck by non-Sikhs religious leaders of Lahore as a forgery and sent to Ahmad Shah in-order to invoke his wrath and lead him to campaign against the Sikhs.
After the Sikhs conquered the Sirhind Sarkar in 1764, a type of silver coin was struck that came to be known as the Gobindshāhī sikkā ("coin of Guru Gobind Singh"). Its issuance by the Lahore Mint continued until 1777. The inscriptions on the coin, showing influence from Banda's earlier coins, mention the deg tegh fateh concept of Sikhism, mentions both Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh by name, and name Lahore as a capital of the Sikhs. Coinage minted at Amritsar from 1777 onwards are termed Nānakshāhī sikkā. They contain inscriptions, containing the Sikh term Akal Sahai, written in Gurmukhi on one side, and also a verse relating to the first and tenth gurus. The other side contained information about where the coin was struck, such as at the Akal Takht in Amritsar in the case of a 1780 example.
When the Sikhs conquered the Ganges-Yamuna Doab and occupied Delhi, sicca falus (copper) coins were struck at the Najibabad mint. In-regards to misl-era Sikh coins, C. J. Rodgers stated:
Sikh Empire
Ranjit Singh occupied Lahore in 1799 and started issuing coinage there from 1801 onwards, from Amritsar since 1805–06, from Multan since 1818, and from Kashmir (Srinagar) since 1819. Coins were also struck at Pind Dadan Khan, Jhang, and Peshawar. Ranjit Singh's coinage are more similar in-regards to their inscriptions to the earlier Gobindshahi coins yet they are still classified as Nanakshahi coins. The contemporary term for the currency was Nanakshahi. A distinguishing feature of his coins is that they feature symbols like tree leaves and later-on peacock feathers. Coins that were struck on a mint's first day of operation were first sent to the Akal Takht in Amritsar as an offering.
There were various kinds of coins:
Gold coins: mohars/butkis Silver coins: rupee Copper coins: dhelā, takā, and paisā
Sikh Empire-era coins continue the older Sikh coinage traditions that had been established by Banda Singh Bahadur whilst also introducing newer ideas, mostly due to Hindu influence. Maharaja Ranjit Singh continued the practice of not striking coins in the name of a ruler, rather coins were struck in the sacred names of the Sikh gurus. The coins contain benedictions for the Sikh gurus with various signs and symbols. The pipal leaf symbol was the predominant one used on his coins. The Sikh Empire maintained older Sikh numismatic themes but also introduced newer designs from Hinduism, namely the Vaishnavite, Shaivist, and Shaktist denominations. Some of the Sikh Empire's coinage bear Hindu motifs and symbolism, which Madanjit Kaur attributes to Hindu revivalism in the Punjab region during the 19th century. Sikh Empire coins utilized both the Gurmukhi and Perso-Arabic scripts. The Sikh Empire's coinage would later go-on to influence the coinage of the Dogra state of Jammu and Kashmir, founded by Gulab Singh. Some coins struck bear symbolism related to Bibi Moran, the Muslim wife of Ranjit Singh, these coins are termed Morānshāhīs or Ārsī dī Mohar Vāle. The Moranshahis were struck from 1806 to 1807 but they were not accepted as an offering at the Akal Takht due to them being struck in honour of a Muslim dancing-girl. Similarly, some coins struck during the reign of Sher Singh (r. 1841–43) were also not accepted by Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur as an offering due to them featuring Akal Sahai Sher Singh instead of the usual Akal Sahai Guru Nanak ji inscription. Meanwhile, Hari Singh Nalwa was allowed to issue coins in his name on two occasions, in Kashmir in 1831 and in Peshawar in 1834.
Rai Kanhiya Lal claimed that Ranjit Singh started striking coins as soon as he occupied Lahore, with him issuing a coin bearing a Persian couplet praising the Sikh gurus on the obverse side and his own name on the reverse side, with him distributing the coin to the poor. However, according to Surinder Singh this is a false account, although Ranjit Singh did issue a coin bearing the a Persian couplet praising Sikh gurus on the obverse side and an effigy of him seeking Nanak's blessings on the reverse side in the later part of his reign. An account of this can also be found in Sohan Lal Suri's Umdat-ut-Tawarikh.
From 1828 onwards, the Lahore Mint began minting golden mohars called butkīs, which consisted of 11-1/2 māshās (around 10 grams) of pure gold. The silver rupee contained a comparable amount of silver. A distinguishing characteristic of the butkis is that while they contained the usual inscriptions, they also contained the term Waheguru written three times in Gurmukhi script. The Sikh Empire also circulated quarter-rupees (¼ rupee).
The main mints operated by the Sikh Empire were located at Amritsar, Anandgarh, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Jammu, and Kashmir. Some of the various symbols on the coinage, such as swords, daggers, or lotus flowers, may have represented specific governors of the different provinces of the empire. The banyan leaf symbolized the empire of Ranjit Singh on the coins.
Cis-Sutlej states