Vol. X, No. 6.] Numismatic Supplement No. XXIII. 251 



[N.S.] 



"ye" of jm is also clearly present, whereas on the rupees 

 there is no separate stroke for that letter. The similarity of 

 the "Bairata" rupees in type and lettering with those struck 

 at Elichpur is most striking. 



There is also a coin of Jahangir's first year 1014 a.h. 



which Lieut. -Col. Vost has ascribed to " Bairata." ' The coin 



is in the Lucknow Museum, and I have recently seen it with the 



result that 1 am satisfied that on it too the mint name can 



unhesitatingly be read " Barar." In this case also the type 



and lettering— even the rather unusual position of the date — are 



identical with the earlier coins of Jahanglr of the Elichpur 

 mint. 



Taking all these facts into consideration the arguments 





appear to tell strongly in favour of the reading 'Barar. 

 The matter was brought up for discussion at the recent annual 

 meeting of the Numismatic Society of India and the result 

 was that an unanimous resolution was passed adopting the 

 reading " Barar " in preference to "Bairata 9 ' on the rupees 

 of Akbar hitherto ascribed to the latter mint It is suggested, 

 therefore, that Bairata be excluded from and Barar be included 

 in the list of silver mints of Akbar and Jahanglr. 



H. Nelson Wright. 



136. Note on the dates of the Mauludi Era of Tipu 



Sultan of Mysore. 



t* 



The coinage of Tipu Sultan is in many respects so interest- 

 ing that it has received a large share of attention from numis- 

 matists, yet in spite of this there has been a good deal of 

 confusion with regard to the question of dates. As is well 

 known the coins issued during the first four years of the reign 

 bear the Hijrl date, while those from the fifth year to the year 

 of Tipu's death, are dated in accordance with his special Mauludi 

 era, which, as the name indicates, takes its origin from the 

 birth and not from the flight of the Prophet. In the coins of 

 the second period the dates read from right to left. While the 

 coins of the fourth year are dated 1200 a.h., those of the 

 fifth year bear the date 1215 a.m., and it appears probable that 

 the commencement of a new century influenced Tipu in 

 making the change at this time. The Hijrl years are lunar 

 ones of twelve lunar months each, but those of the Mauludi 

 system are luni-solar of twelve lunar months, with an inter- 

 calated or adhika month added to the year at certain intervals. 

 Tipu's new calendar, as was pointed out by Kirkpatrick in 

 1811, was simply the Hindu one in common use in Mysore, 

 with a cycle of sixty years, Arabic names taking the place of 

 Hindu ones for the cyclic years and months. 



* Num. Supp. to J.A.S.B., No. XI, art. (35. 



