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Zeichen Journal ISSN No: 0932-4747

FOREIGN INFLUENCE ON THE STYLE AND TECHNIQUES OF AHOM COINS: SOME OBSERVATIONS

Dr. Diganta Deka Assistant Professor P.G. Department of History Tihu College, Tihu P.O. Tihu-781371, ,

Abstract

The scientific and systematic study of coins is an integral exercise for the reconstruction of history of any specific time or region. This study known as Numismatics has definite role to shed new lights and to corroborate existing domain of knowledge. As like other parts of India, the early has also insufficient information to study. The coming of the mighty Ahoms to this land early in the medieval period in fact started a healthy system of historiography. In additions to the special of the Ahom period, their unique coins have also supplied us a mass of facts to understand the Assamese society, economy, polity and cultural milieus. Till date only a handful of systematic studies are made to recognize the coins and currencies of Ahom age and as a result we have come across some of those items from the possessions of antiquarian sources. Conspicuously, it is seen that a few of those coins portray interesting and liberal signs of foreign influence upon them. This study is therefore a modest attempt to highlight those influences on the style and techniques of the medieval Ahom coins.

Keywords: Coins, Ahom, Assam, Script, Design, Metal etc.

Introduction:

Assam is a historical state located in the north eastern part of India. From the age of the epics, it has been occupied by numerous races and tribes with their peculiar lifestyles. Its early political and commercial contacts with the mainland Indian states are confirmed by the writings of Kautilya and Hiuen Tsang. The medieval history of the land is more charismatic as the mongoloid origin ruling clan, the Ahoms not only ushered in a new era of dynamic rule within the state but also successfully defended its soil from the dominant forces of the west.

Historically, the Ahoms formed part of a migration of Tai or Shan peoples into the upper Brahmaputra basin of since the early part of the thirteenth century A.D. By the sixteenth century they could administer much of the contemporary Assam. Their language and the script in which it has been recorded were in fact an archaic form of the greater Tai language which is spoken with many variations throughout entire . Though the period is reckoned for the unique literary gems, the Ahom ‘ Puthis’ or the chronicles, the contemporary coins of the regime are also a valuable source for understanding the inner developments. It is seen that lesser studies are done in the field of Ahom numismatics and many specimens found in literatures are practically not found. Once found, these coins can easily minimise the academic and regional gaps noticed in the study of the history of North East in general and Assam in particular.

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Objectives and Methodology:

The primary idea of the study has been to mark out the entry phases and amounts of foreign elements influencing the numismatics practise of the Ahoms, identify the technical improvements and to track probable cross cultural interactions that led to definite changes in the overall process of Assamese coinage. In order to meet the need of the study, we have largely followed historical, descriptive and analytical methodologies of research. Here the purview of the study is kept limited to the contemporary boundaries of medieval Assam and primary sources like discovered and preserved coins, Ahom chronicles, land grants, Tantric texts etc. along with a few vital secondary data derived from archival sources are consulted and considered.

Chronological debate on earliest Ahom Coins:

The Ahom rulers of the earliest period are said to be not interested in minting coins. The original Tai chronicles are also silent about this. But some celebrated Assamese chronicles like Assam Buranji and Sarsari Assam Buranji like to point that even the first Ahom ruler Su-ka-pha had also offered gold and silver coins to the family deity on the occasion of laying the foundation of their first capital at . Subsequently Shu-dang-pha and Shu-hum-mong also said to be minted coins on the occasion of their accession to the throne. In fact as per an old legend, Shu-hum-mong even offered some gold coins to the famous Jagannath temple of Orissa through his deligations. Padmeswar Gogoi, however hinted that this mission may be of a later date when Vikramsena, one of the members of Assamese ambassadors excavated a tank near the temple and performed the consecration ceremony by offering gold mohars of Su-hung-mung to the Jagannath Thakur.1 Amazingly enough we are still neither able to find any such coins of the early Ahom rulers nor the sources hint us about their details. Scholars has opined that the paucity of early coins is due to the fact that Ahoms at the initial years of their reign maintained policy of isolation with the western counterparts and were actually not interested in commercial activities which debarred them from minting considerable number of coins. Domestic transactions were generally concluded by barter mode and the extensive mechanism of dealing with the subjects through helped the Ahom rulers indirectly from large scale coinage.

The earliest discovered specimen of Ahom coins was initially accorded in the name of Suk- len-mung, with the possibility of minting around 1543 A.D. by the then translator of Rai Saheb Golap Chandra Baruah. While E.A. Gait has accepted his readings scholars like J.N. Phukan and N.G. Rhodes etc. has rejected the process of script decipherment and inappropriate calculations based on Ahom hexagonary calendar cycle and thus emphasised that it should be in the name of Shu-pong-mung alias Chakradhwaja Simha. It is pointed out by them that the second syllable of the coin which has been long believed to be the coin of Suk-len-mung should be read as ‘pung’ not ‘K(l)en’ and thus it reads as ‘Supungmung’and the calculation of the year of striking of the coin falls in 1663 A.D. only which is relatively very later.2

At this juncture, the available and earliest datable coins of Ahom period are of the time of Jayadhwaj Singha (1648-1663 A.D). As discussed above, though some of the bear the information of minting Ahom coins prior to this phase, no such coin has been found elsewhere. So, majority of the scholars now unanimously have opined that the first coin of the Ahoms was comprehensively minted during the reign of Jayadhwaj Singha only. One of the silver coins of Jayadhwaj Singha measuring 11.34 gms read in its obverse ‘Sri Sri Hari Hara Charana Parayanasya’ and reverse ‘Sri Sri Swarga Narayanasyadeva’ bearing Saka 1570 i.e. 1648 A.D. thoroughly in Hindu

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script.3 The absence of the name of any particular king on the coin has created some debates. For example, V.A. Smith hinted that the coin may be of king Pratapsimha.4 The Satsari Asom Buranji also mentioned that Pratapsimha was the monarch to mint octagonal silver coins. However A.W. Botham and S.K. Bhuyan confirmed this to be of Jayadhwaj Singha. One of these chronicles records that Jayadhwaj Singha was the first Ahom monarch to introduce octagonal silver coins in ‘Hindu script’ with the image of the Singha-Pahu (i.e. lion-deer or the dragon, the Ahom royal insignia). It was from this time that silver coin came into circulation. J.P. Wade also writes that King Jayadhwaj Singha was the first king of Assam to coin money.5 In some of the octagonal silver coins issued in the same year however bear Chinese letters. Such coin might be issued to extend the relation of the Ahoms towards Tibet.

It may safely be said that after the Ahom-Mughal treaty of Asurar Ali in 1639, commercial intercourse between Assam and resumed.6 Since then the Ahoms started to exchange important items like ivory, pepper, musk, gold, silk-cloth, aromatic plants etc. along with various kinds of winter cloths, sugar, salt etc. with western powers especially Bengal which remained at that time under the Mughals. N.G.Rhodes and S.K.Bose opined that subsequent trade relations with Tibet and Ahom administrative desire to raise revenue of the kingdom gradually motivated them to issue coins.7 We may notice regular issuing of coins of different denominations, quality and size from that time onward.

Style and Techniques of Ahom Coins:

Throughout the long phase of medieval , the Ahoms hold name and fame for their unique way of polity, administration and artistic styles. In the case of numismatics also, Ahom coins are actually peculiar as we hardly find any match for the Ahom octagonal patterned coins elsewhere in India. This design was said to be initiated since the reign of Susenghpha or Pratapsimha. Regarding the origin of the shape, Kasinath's informed us that Pratapsimha having received the report of minting coins bearing legends in 'Hindu scripts' by the neighbouring Koch kings asked the scholars of his court also to find out a fitting design for his coins. The dignitaries after consulting the celebrated text Yogini Tantra advised the king to coin money in octagonal shape so as to conform to the shape of his kingdom which, it was believed at that time, had eight corners. For this reason, Pratapsimha adopted the quite new and uncommon octagonal shape for his coins. A different account of the origin is given in the Satsari Asom Buranji, according to which Pratapsimha minted silver coins in octagonal form only to commemorate the conquest of eight nearby principalities vis. Chutiya, Kachari, Kamata, Turbaska, Patilajaha, Egharasindur, Baro-Bhuyan and Chungi or Dafla.8 Sadly, we have not yet been able to find the coins of his regime. It is seen that at the later stage of their rule, the Ahom monarchs applied some modifications and as such we could find a few square and circle type coins.

The Ahoms were brilliant in the traditional metallurgical practices and generally used pure gold and silver to mint their coins. The coins struck during the Ahom rule were unique ones and they also achieved perfect accuracy. The requirements of iron, gold and silver for minting coins were locally fulfilled by producing them manually. The technology involved in iron smelting and gold washing was found to be conventional and practised throughout its long regime. The renowned Persian chronicler Shihabuddin Talish who came to Assam with Mughal General Mirjumla during his invasion of 1661-63 A.D mentioned that the currency of ‘Aasham’ consists of cowries, silver rupees and Ashrafi (golden coins).9 The copper coins are not accepted there. Scholars like J.N. Phukan opined that the absence of copper coins during Ahom rule was owing to a number of reasons. The

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unavailability of copper in Ahom territory, its uselessness in foreign trade and the sanctimonious nature in Hindu belief leading to the large scale uses in copper plates and land grants etc. barred the royal house to think its application in the numismatics.

During the entire Ahom rule coins or mohars as locally spelt were minted in different denominations. The silver coins which were largest in number were of the denominations like one taka, adhali (1/2 taka), siki (1/4th taka), charatia (1/16th taka), tini-rati (1/32nd taka) etc.10 Usually, coins of smaller denominations are common to found. Medieval sources point out that silver was procured from the mines of Yunnan and Burma and sometimes or trade with Bengal through the various branches of Southern Silk Route. Perhaps as an undeclared state policy, gold coins were minted in limited quantities only for high proportionate transactions like trading activities with Tibet or Bengal. The purity of the gold coins perhaps tempted common people to melt these and turn them to jewelleries. Therefore gold coins were often kept within the bracket of nobles and high status families.

The minting of coins was the monarch's exclusive privilege during the whole period and they enjoyed it only after the formal accession to the throne by performing a ceremony known at Singori Ghorot Utha Utsav. No other person was ever allowed to mint coins on behalf of the king. This has been testified also by foreigners who visited the . Thomas welsh records that the monarch alone coined money. Chronicles have hinted far only three mints in the state viz. at Rongpur, and Disoi. The fact that these areas were the capitals of the Ahom kingdom Indicates that the mints were located around the royal courts only.

The Ahoms followed a superior technology in striking their coins. The octagonal shape of coins with their dotted border, seven or five dots rosette, the dragon and in a few occasion the portrayal of the winged lion chasing a deer showed that their coin making technology was far better than other contemporary counterparts. According to the Ahom norms, Akharkatia Khel and Khanikar Khel used to cut the dies for coins. They were expert in inscribing letters on walls, cannons and coins. The officials like the Bartamuli, Ligiri, Khanikar Oja, Chāng Kākati, along with Dharakuri and Marakuri blacksmiths engaged themselves in their respective works.11 They used a number of obverse and reverse dies along with hammers and envils etc. in the entire process. Bardoloi was the mint master of the Ahoms.

Foreign Influences on the Ahom Coins:

At the initial years, the Ahoms were confined to the upper Assam area and logically followed policy of isolation with the forces of the west. This policy of isolation is in general very common among the Mongoloid races. Their economy continued in a static mode and barter mode was quite handy within the state. It was to be precise the events happening outside their western boundary influenced their perspectives which were testified by the chronicles itself. The political, cultural and religious affairs outside of their jurisdiction and the trading demands had also altered their norms.

The Ahoms were technically a very calculative and farsighted clan. From the time of Su-Ka- Pha, they followed practical policies aggression and conciliation in the . Naturally, they had to adopt and execute the prevailing regulations of the land. It has been seen that while at the same time they kept their ancestral religio-cultural Tai identities and simultaneously embraced greater Gangetic valley originated Aryan Hindu religion. These camouflages got exposed in the faces of their coins.

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The outside influences that we may see on the Ahom coins can be analysed from their style, ornamentation, calligraphy and metallic aspects. As discussed earlier, the Ahoms first introduced the octagonal type coins but followed comparatively easy patterns like square or circle in the later phase of their rule. These coins had characteristic similarities with the coins of and Mughals. According to Gait, Ahom coins have marked resemblance with the coins of Koch kings. Critics also tend to say that the octagonal coins were minted only at the time of coronation at the later days.12

Ahom coins bore a number of scripts and languages. The initial coins bore Ahom scripts only. A careful scrutiny shows us that gradual changes came on the issue of scripts. The middle phases of the long history Ahom showed their leaning towards and so forth, they took Hinduished names and use of Sanskrit was preferred. This radical transformation changed their outlook and it was reflected in coins also. The most frequently displayed deity on the obverse side of Ahom coins was Tara, a Hindu Tantric goddess with Sanskrit homages on the reverse and Saka era in common. But, the later day coins were mostly struck in Persian scripts with languages. This shift was seen during the reighn of the queens of Siva Simha. They practically became so powerful in that phase and struck coins in their names. The Mughal coins having the women rulers’ images such as Nurjahan might have tempted them also.13 Interestingly, we can trace Chinese scripts also on both sides of a silver coin of Jayadhwaj Singha who ruled in the middle phases. It reads as ‘Zang Bao’ literally meaning ‘currency/valuable of Tibet’. It was therefore evident that though the Ahoms ruled in this valley, their ancestral lineage often attracted them in the intellectual domains. Even they liked to follow their own calendar. The Ahom method of computing time is the same as that of the Chinese and Japanese, viz., the larger Jovian cycle of 60 years, which the Ahoms call Taochina.14 The Ahom royal insignia, the Flying Dragon is a splendid example of their Mongoloid ancestry which definitely influences their diplomatic and economic linkages. The similarities of Ahom coins with the neighbouring Manipuri ones also testify that tendency.15

Table showing features of a few Ahom Coins

Name of the issuing Language Script Style Shape Metal Monarchs Chakradwaj Simha Ahom Sanskrit Goddess Tara Octagonal Gold Jayadwaj Simha Sanskrit Hindu Border of dots Octagonal Gold Gadadhar Simha Ahom Tai Bird Octagonal Gold Winged Lion/ Rudra Simha Sanskrit Assamese Dragon with 7 Octagonal Gold dots Siva Simha Sanskrit Sanskrit Solo Octagonal Gold Siva Simha with queen Persian Arabic Dual Octagonal Gold Phuleswari Siva Simha with queen Persian Arabic Dual Circle Gold/ Pramatheswari Silver Siva Simha with queen Persian Arabic Dual Square Silver Ambika Tutelary deity Pramatta Simha Ahom Assamese Lengdon Octagonal Gold Rajeswar Simha Persian/Urdu Nagari/Arabic Dots Octagonal Gold Tai words Ra, Gaurinath Simha Ahom Tai Ha, Na, Di, Pa Octagonal Gold

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The demographic addition of Muslim captive soldiers throughout two centuries of Ahom- Mughal conflict, into the social strata of Assam also influenced its artistic and technological dimensions. They were often used by Royal houses for those works not accustomed for Ahom Paiks for their technical knowhows. It was highly probable that the newly recruited Maria community who were experts in beating and treating metals eased the cause of enhancing coins of smaller denominations for day to day purpose and as such change of scripts to Arabic or Persian may have occurred. We may also assume that during the later part of seventeenth century regular trade activities started between Assam and the rest of the country through . The coming of the European Merchants along with Marwari traders of western India induced a vital economy where a standard coinage acceptable to all stakeholders was a new necessity. The coins having Persian legends and a late Mughal style would have served that purpose.

Conclusion:

The study of numismatics has brought to our knowledge some very interesting and thought provoking dimensions in the study of the history of Assam. It has quietly portrayed the royal tendencies which do not get an open mention in the literary sources. The phase wise transformations of the economic and cultural needs are inadvertently manifested in the minting process of coins. The medieval period of the region not only witnessed the rise of the Ahoms but also saw dramatic proportions of political shares that a few other tribal states like Jayantia, Manipuri, Kachari, Koch etc. enjoyed. The information supplied by the medieval coins has no doubt lessened the hardship caused by paucity of definite literary sources in the study of the region. Consequently, numismatic was immensely significant as a source material for the reconstruction of cultural pluralities and in shaping out the religio-economic sensibilities of the contemporary kingdoms of medieval Northeast India. The need of the hour is to delve into the deeper realms of the subject so that more interesting, comprehensive and novel data may come out for the benefit of the academia.

NOTES AND REFERENCES:

1 Bhuyan, S.K.(trans); Assam Buranji, Gauhati,1930, p.23. 2 Rhodes, N.G., ‘The Earliest Coins of Assam’ in Choudhury, R.D., A Source Book of the Numismatic Studies in North , Vol. I, Directorate of Museum, Assam, , 1986, pp.188-89. 3 Mitra, Anup, Coins of Ahom Kingdom, Calcutta, 2001, p.56. 4 Catalogue of Coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. Vol. I, pt. iii, by V.A. Smith, Oxford, 1906. 5 Wade, J.P.; An Account of Assam, N. Lakhimpur, p. 294. 6 Barpujari, H.K., The Comprehensive History of Assam, Vol. II, Pub. Board, Assam, Guwahati, 2007. p.167. 7 Rhodes. N.G and Bose, S.K., The Coinage of Assam, Vol. II (Ahom Period), Kolkata, 2004, p.37 8 Phukan, J.N.; The Economic History of Assam under the Ahoms; Gauhati University, unpublished thesis, cited from Shodhganga@http://hdl.handle.net/10603/69726. 9 Ibn Mohammad Wali alias Shihabuddin Talish, Fathiya-l-Ibriya ( Tarikh-i-Fath-i-Asham) trans. by Sir Jadunath Sarkar in JBORS. Patna, Vol.I, pt.I, Dec. 1915. 10 Rhodes. N.G and Bose, S.K., op.cit.,p.42; Bidyaratna, Ramkumar, Udasin Satyasarabar Asom Bhraman, Trans. & Ed. Kumar, Pradip and , Prabin Chandra, Assam Publishing Company, Guwahati, 2014, p.78. 11 Sarma, A.C., Tai Ahom System of Government, R.B. Publishing Corporation, Delhi,1986, p.302. 12 Singh, Jai Prakash, ‘On the Shape of Ahom Coins’ in Indologica Taurinesia, Vol. VIII-IX (19801981). 13 Brown, C.J.; The Coins of India, Calcutta, 1922, p.101. 14 Gait, E.A.,‘Notes on some Ahom Coins’ in Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. LXIV, Part. I, Calcutta,1896, p.287. 15 Brown, C.J.; ibid, p. 102.

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