i i 



66 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XIII, 



Aurangzeb's dams of the old type is 320 grs. (P.M.C. Nos. 

 1966-7) and that this gives a value of, at least, 15/r grs. 



(i±&x. T V) for the Masha and of 182f grs. (y T ° * V- = --¥--) for 

 the tola of Aurangzeb. Again, one of the Falus of the new type 

 weighs as high as 217 grs. (P.M.C. No. 1982), which weight, 

 divided by 14, gives a value for Aurangzeb's Masha of exactly 

 15 J grs. and one of 186 grs. for the corresponding Tola. 



The last two sentences of the second passage are somewhat 

 obscurely worded, but the meaning is, I think, fairly clear. 



When this fact reached the August Presence, the Diwan of 

 the Subah received orders to the effect that in the payment of 

 daily wages, the value of the Tanka in Falus should be raised 

 in the proportion of 10 to 15. From that time, the Tanka has 

 been fixed in Gujarat at three Falus" 



These words signify that the Tanka — the heavy Akbar* 

 shahi Tanka of about 640 grs. — had an exchange value of two 

 Talus, when the latter weighed as much as 21 Mashas (or about 

 320 grs.), but that the same piece had now become equivalent Jo 

 three of the new Falus, of which the weight was only 14 Mashas. 

 In other words, the weight of the new Falus was to that of the 

 old as 14 is to 21, or as 10 is to 15 or as 2 is to 3. The exchange 

 value of the Akbarshahi Tanka also, with respect to the new 

 Falus, rose therefore from 10 to 15 or from 2 to 3, and the 

 Diwan received orders to pay, wherever an Akbarshahi Tanka 

 had been paid before (to the labourers, etc.) , three Falus and not 

 two. 



One thing more perhaps demands notice. According to 

 the Mirat, the first order on the subject was passed by Aurang- 

 zeb only in 1076 a.h. and the second in 1077 a.h. But it appear 

 from the coins themselves that the alteration had been already 

 effected at Shahjahanabad and Akbarabad (P.M.C. 1971-2 and 

 1954) in 1074 ah. (VI-VIXR). It is perhaps necessary to bear 

 in mind in this connection, that Mahabat Khan, the Subahdar 

 of Ahmadabad, who is said to have taken action in the matter 

 on his own responsibility, was first appointed to that charge 

 so early as the 16th of Zilhijja, 1072 {Mirat I, p. 268) and 

 remained in office up to the 8th of Shawwal, 1077 (t'6., p- 282). 



All that the writer declares is that in those days ( ^f c;f )* )» 



there was a scarcity of the metal and that the Subahdar 

 was obliged to take action. The entire proceeding, the coinage 

 of the new Falus, the controversy with the Diwan, the refer- 

 ence to and reply from the capital, probably took some time 

 and we may reasonably suppose that when the Emperor passed 

 final orders on the subject, he merely authorized the Superin- 

 tendent of the provincial mint to follow, in the matter of weight, 

 the standard already fixed for the metropolitan establishments 

 of Akbarabad and Shahjahanabad. 



bo far as to the metrology of Aurangzeb's Falus. The 



i 



