Suratriya Varha: a corrigendum

Amol N. Bankar

In my article The Enigma of Gold Mohurs of Chhatrapati Shivaji, I had mentioned a Sanskrit letter of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, recorded with date 27th August 1680 AD and remarks of Sambhaji in his own handwriting. This letter was first discovered by Mahamahopadhyaya D.V. Potdar in 1928 AD. Earlier, Shri V.C. Bendre had published a small photograph of the same in his book Sadhanchikitsa. However, it takes six decades for systematic publication of this letter from its date of its discovery; Prof. G.H. Khare added it in one issue of BISM Quarterly (Year 61 st, Volume 2-4, 1983). The letter is addressed to a jmadagnagotri, valayanasutri, rgvedntargat, kalakhdhyyi Brahmin belonging to the karhde (of Karhad) branch, with surname Bakare. The grant consists of 1 fully adorned Elephant, 5 Horses with their Ornaments for the Temple of Goddess Sundari. The intention of this grant is also mentioned in this letter i.e. for prosperity of the Kingdom, fulfilment of all wishes, raze of enemies and long life, good health, wealth and prosperity (of all kind) for upcoming generations. In this letter, the goddess is mentioned as sundari, recently, Dr R.C. Dhere had cogently proved that, the Goddess sundari, is the same goddess mentioned in sundarikhnda of aktisangamtantra associated with shkta Tantrism. 1 The letter also consists of a grant of 10000 suratriya varhas to the temple. Earlier Dr Kamal Gokhale 2 and Dr Sadashiv Shivade
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had identified suratriya varha as Surati gold coins and a kind of silver coin respectively. In

my article, based on the weight 24 Krishnala or Ratti (= 2.80 grams), I had given a opinion that; these coins could be gold Hoans of Shivaji. But, after some discussions with my teacher, Shri Gajanan Mehendale and going through some detailed references, I found that, all the earlier interpretations including mine are not correct and there are some substantial interpretations regarding the term suratriya varha, which I would like to share here in brief: If we translate the Sanskrit verse in the letter word by word (caturviati krialamita uddha kaladhaut ghaita daasahasra sakhyka suratriya varhrpaa), we can find that this verse talk about a donation of daasahastra (10000) suratriya varhas with 24 krinala (ratti) of uddha (pure) kaladhaut (gold). It is already agreed by most of the researchers that, the boar (varha) was the royal emblem of Chalukyas and hence the gold coins issued with effigy of this animal (on the obverse) were called varha. The term varha continued for hundreds of years to be the name of standard gold coin of weight approximately 3.00 grams. Also, the Sanskrit term kaladhaut is used to denote gold as well as silver (sounding and shining) 4 and this may the key reason behind the incorrect interpretations given by earlier researchers. Also it is more likely that, instead of weight of coin, the mass of gold content in the coins is given in the Sanskrit verse (i.e. 24 ratti). A number of inscriptions show that in the early phase of the Delhi Sultanate, The term aka was also used to signify Muslim rulers. turuka (or turak), mleccha, and yavana are terms employed for Muslims in hostile contexts. Varied epithets were used during the twelfth to fifteenth centuries to represent the king or sultn. The Sanskrit titles used for the Sultan were nth (lord), bhupla (lord of the earth), bhavabhumipati (sovereign of the entire earth), npati (king), prithvicandra (earth-lord), rjapati (lord of the state) and samar (king). 5 Earlier, the term or title suratra has been mistakenly interpreted by some researchers as the protector or saviour of gods (Sanskrit - sura + tra). But the fact is that, in the beginning when Delhi sultanate had started issuing bilingual inscriptions i.e. inscriptions in Arabic and Sanskrit, some of the Arabic words were accepted in Sanskrit with little modifications. According to Prof. G.H. Khare, suratra is the modified form of the Arabic title sultn ( 6 .)Another popular title which was frequently used in these inscriptions is hammira (also spelt hamira, ahamvira, hamvira), which is modified form of Arabic title mir ( 7 .)These sanskritized forms became popular all over the India and we can find numerous inscriptions quoting these titles. E.g. The Chirwa inscription of Samarasimha (Guhila king of Mewar) mentions attack of suratra (i.e. Turk

Sultan of Delhi) on the city of Nagada.8 surita is another variant of suratra and it can be seen on the bull and horseman type billon coins i.e. jitals of Nasir-ud-din Qubcha (1203-28 AD), Iltutmish (1211-36 AD), Rukn-ud-din Feroz Shah (1236 AD), Bahram (1240-42AD) and Ala ud-din Masud (1242-46 AD).9 Through trade, war and diplomacy Vijayanagara was culturally connected to the wider Islamic world. Architecture, dresses and imitation of some practices of Deccani Muslims show Islamic influence on Vijayanagara kings. P.B.Wagoner had noted, the Vijayanagara kings had adopted some Islamic titles, the first Vijayanagara king had assumed the imperial title of hidury-suratra (Sultan among Hindu kings) in addition to their conventional biruda (title) mahmandalevara. 10 Most of the Vijayanagara rulers included hidury-suratra as their royal title. But, king Rama Raya went further and he styled himself as gola suratra (Sultan of the World). 11 Many Gold Hoans that originated from outside the Maratha domain were current within territory of Early Marathas and are in deed mentioned in list of hoarded treasure of Shivaji by Krishnaji Anant Sabhasad. Some of these were the Hoans of former Vijayanagara kingdom. If we carefully verify some of the names of hoans from chronicles of Sabhasad, We find that some Hoans viz. Devaryi, Achyutaryi, Rmachanadryi, Shivaryi are known after their issuers i.e. Vijayanagara king(s) Devaraya, Achyutaraya, Ramachanadra, and Sadashivaraya respectively also the gold content in Vijayanagara Hoans is more than 24 ratti. 12 Though, the Vijayanagara kings had identified themselves as hidury-suratra, but the term suratra was utilised to identify Mohammeden Sultans of Deccan in Vijayanagara inscriptions. One inscription of Bukka cites the turuka suratra, (Turk Sultan) eats grass (a token of submission), when Bukka starts war. 13 The coins of Deccanese Sultanates, especially the gold coins of Adil Shahi Kingdom were known as ptshhi hoans and these are frequently mentioned in Persian and Modi (Marathi) documents of Early Maratha period.
14

These Hoans are either written as

ptshhi or indicated by its initial letters (p) in these documents. Rjavyavahrakoa was a Sanskrit compilation prepared by the learned Sanskrit Pandits by the orders of Chhatrapati Shivaji. It is administrative Lexicon of Sanskrit parallel to the Persian and Deccani Urdu terms. This lexicon lists varha and rj as a Sanskrit parallels to hoan and Persian title pdshh, but unfortunately no Sanskrit parallel for complete word ptshhi hoans
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is available in

Rjavyavahrakoa. The Sanskrit official letters early Maratha periods are very few and hence we may conclude that, a term suratriya varha (sultni hoans) was evolved to accommodate the word ptshhi hoans in the Sanskrit letter. Acknowledgements: I will like to express my sincere gratitude to Shri Gajanan Mehendale and my friend Dr Ambarish Khare for their constant inspiring support and discussions. The author can be contact at: ancientcoinsofindia@yahoo.co.in for further discussions and improvement of subject. References & Notes:
1)

Amol Bankar (2010): The Enigma of Gold Mohurs of Chhatrapati Shivaji, ONSNL 203 (Summer 2010), Oriental Numismatic Society, London, Pp 37-43. Dr Kamal Gokhale (1974): Shivaputra Sambhaji, (Marathi), Diamond Publications, Pune, Pp 84-91. Dr Sadashiv Shivade (2008): Jvalajjvalanatejasa Sambhaji Raja (Marathi), Diamond Publications, Pune, Pp 84-91. Aaba Chandorkar and A.B. Joshi had correctly identified these coins as gold hoans, but they had not given any interpretation regarding Suratriya Varha; see Aaba Chandorkar and A.B. Joshi (1934): Shivashahicha Lekhanamlankar (Marathi), Published by Authors themselves, Pune, Pp34-35. Monier Monier-Williams (1872): A Sanskrit English Dictionary, Clarendon Press, Oxford, Pp 221; Amarakoa refer kaladhaut as lakshma (Characteristic) of hema (gold) and rajat (silver), pls refer Amarasimha (1990):

2) 3)

4)

nmalinganusana or Amarakoa (Sanskrit) , Critical edition of Maheshvara, Varada Publication, Pune, Pp 212 (Shloka no: 2487).
5) 6)

Pushpa Prasad (1990): Sanskrit inscriptions of Delhi Sultanate (1191-1526), Oxford University Press, Delhi, Pp xxii. Dineschandra Sircar (1966): Indian epigraphical glossary, Motilal Banarasidas, New Delhi , Pp 129; Also refer Proceedings - Indian History Congress for Year 1970.

7) 8)

Op cit 5, Pp xxii. Meenakshi Khanna (2007): Cultural History of Medieval India, Berghahn Books, New Delhi, Pp 115; Peter Jackson (1999): The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History, Cambridge University Press, Pp 133.

9)

Stan Goron and J.P. Goenka (2001): The coins of the Indian Sultanates, Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi and also refer Robert and Monica Tye (1995): Jital, published by Robert Tye, Isle of South Uist; the types- D-45(T-386), D128(T-404), D-130, T-206, D-97 (T-392) contain inscription with word surita.

10)

Joan-Pau Rubies (2000): Travel and Ethnology in Renaissance: South India through European Eyes, Cambridge University Press, Pp 16; For Vijayanagara inscriptions with title Hindury-Suratra, please refer Epigraphia Indica, Volume III, Pp 149; Vol I, Pp 363; Epigraphia Carnatica Vol VIII, Pp 50,224,235,297; Vol IX, Pp 103, 149, 191, 253, 845; Vol XI, Pp 88, 271, 276, 350, 364, 377 and so on.

11)

Richard Maxwell Eaton (2005): A social history of the Deccan, 1300-1761: eight Indian lives, Cambridge University Press, Pp 101.

12)

For detailed analysis of coins mentioned in Sabhasad Bakhar, please refer, Shailendra Bhandare (2001): An Evaluation of the Sabhasad Bakhar as source of historical information: A numismatic perspective, Paper presented at 5th international Colloquium at IIRNS, Published as Mediaeval Indian Coinages: A historical and economic perspectives by IIRNS, Anjaneri Nasik, Pp 213; Also refer Krishnaji Anant Sabhasad (2002): Sabhasad Bakhar, (Marathi) Edited by Dr. R. V. Herwadkar, Venus Publications, Pune, Pp 117-118.

13) 14) 15)

K. A. Nilakanta Sastry (1946): Further Sources of Vijayanagara History, University of Madras, Pp 38. The period pertains to reign of Shivaji, Sambhaji and Rajaram can be assigned as Early Maratha period (Author). A Kannada work by M.S. Puttanna entitled Chitradurgada Paleyagararu furnished some interesting details about the coins of the Palegars of Chitradurga. This work refers to different coins that were available in the royal treasury at Chitradurga, including bdshhi hoans which are philologically closer to ptshhi hoans. May be Persian phrase ptshh develop into bdshh and it seems that, this pronunciation is regularly used in later Indo-Persian. Pls. refer Dr A.V. Narasimha Murthy (1997): Coins and Currency system in Karnataka, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in Karnataka, Mysore, Pp 217. The exchange rate of One ptshhi hoan with other coins was given by Shri Gajanan Mehendale as: 9 aks (1628 AD), 10.33 aks (1630-31 AD), 9.75 aks (1666 AD), 10 aks (1671 AD), 10.125 aks (1674 AD), 12 aks (1675-76 AD), 11.25 aks (In 1678 AD). We can also reveal that, in 1682 AD, 400 moin ptshhi hoans were equal to 500 Nishani Hoan and one Chaval, Hence 1 ptshhi hoan was equal to 1.25 Nishani Hoans. Pls refer Shri Gajanan Mehendale (1999): Shivkalin Chalan, Raja Shiva Chhatrapati (Marathi) Vol I & II, Foot note No 200, Pp 367.