Vol. VI , No. 11.] Numismatic Supplement. 679 



[N.S.] 



1097. Lastly, my esteemed friend, Mr. Framji Jamaspji Thana- 

 wala of Bombay, was so good as to send me for inspection 

 from his own collection twenty- five coins, and from that of 

 Mr. Kavasji Edalji Kotwal seven, all of the same kind as those 

 sent by Mr. Cousens, and the "find-spot" of these additional 

 thirty-two specimens was Sholapur, a town distant from 

 Bijapur just fifty-eight miles, and intimately connected with 

 the history of that city. For these cumulative reasons one 

 may with perfect confidence assign all the 281 copper coins l to 

 the last five 'Adil Shahl rulers. So far as I am aware, no coins 

 of this dynasty have hitherto been published, and a Bijapur 

 currency, prior to Aurangzeb's annexation of the kingdom, has 

 not been registered in any book on Numismatics. But, having 

 regard to the pomp and splendour of the 'Adil Shahs, a glory 

 attested by the noble monuments and graceful memorials that 

 still remain in the city of Bijapur, ' the Palmyra of the 

 Dakhan, 5 it is well nigh incredible that these proud monarchs, 

 during the two centuries of their independence, should have 

 been content to use an alien currency. More than once, indeed, 



coins 



coins 



our 



The only reference I have yet found to any actual Bijapur 



currency 



with 



"He was the last king of Bijapur who struck coins in his 

 11 own name." This article will demonstrate that both 'AIT II 

 and Sikandar, the two successors of Muhammad, did issue 

 coins, though not indeed so freely as their three predecessors, 

 still, while mistaken in respect of this detail, Beale was correct 

 in his implication that the 'Adil Shahs had a special currency 

 of their own. As yet we are in a position to report of their 

 copper coins only, but a State marked by such magnificence 

 and grandeur would surely not have restricted its currency to 

 the baser metal. We venture therefore to express the hope 

 that, if still further search be made, it will some day be 

 rewarded by the welcome discovery of Bijapur coins in both 

 silver and gold. 



As preliminary to an account of the various types of the 

 copper coins, it may be well to enter here a List and a Genea- 



logical Table of the kings of the 'Adil Shahl Dynasty of 



Chronological List of the 'Adil Shahl Kings of Bijapur. 



1- Yusaf 'Adil Shah reigned A H. 895—916 (A.D. 1489—1510) 

 2. Isma'll .. AH. 916-941 (A.D. 1510 -1534) 



1 From Mr. Cousens 249, from Mr. Thanawala 25, and from Mr 

 Kotwal 7: Total 281. 



