Proceedings of tie Asiatic Society, 



481 



1864] 



of interest as affording a number of varieties which were hitherto 

 unknown. This is what was to be expected in a large collection, 

 inasmuch as the art of die-cutting was in so primitive a state in the 

 days of the early Pathans, that no two dies could be turned out exactly 

 alike, and their produce was necessarily very different. Muhammadan 

 sovereigns, besides, took great interest in the designs of their coins, 

 and frequently changed them, and in long and prosperous reigns this 

 too led to a great multiplication of types and varieties. 



" The great bulk of the find consists of the coins of Shamsuddin 

 Ilias Shah Bangarah, Sikandar Shah bin Ilias, and Ghyasuddin Azinx 

 Shah bin Sikandar, three of the earliest independent kings of Bengal. 

 Of the first of these, there are three distinct types, the first having 

 the legend enclosed in a large circle on the reverse, and the second 

 in a small circle ; the third having a double line square framing on 

 the obverse. Of varieties of these types there are no less than 20, 

 but they are due entirely to the die-cutter, and therefore call for no 

 notice. Of the coinage of Sikandar, son of Ilias, there are no less 

 than six distinct types, four of which have not hitherto been noticed 

 by any antiquarian. One of them offers the rudest specimen of coin 

 in the whole collection, and another as good as any that has ever been 

 issued by a Bengal Pathan. Ghyasuddin, son of Sikandar has five 

 types and no less than fifteen different varieties. 



" Of the other Bengal Pathans whose coins occur in this trove I 

 have to notice Firuz Shah the Abyssinian, who appears with the 

 prenomen Shamsuddin instead of the commonly known Tajuddin, 

 and Bahadur Shah, who raised the standard of revolt in A. D. 1317, 

 during the reign of the effeminate Mubarik, and for some years suc- 

 cessfully maintained his independence. The time of Bahadur was 

 occupied in organising and strengthening his newly-acquired princi- 

 pality, and he had little leisure to think of the design of his coin. 

 He affords^ therefore, a single type and a very indifferent specimen of 

 Bengal rupee. Mr. Laidlay does not include this prince in his paper 

 on the coins of the Pathin kings of Bengal, but his independence was 

 complete, and I see no valid reason for excluding him. The number 

 of his coins in the trove exceeds 200. 



" The Delhi Pathans represented in this trove are Ghyasuddin 

 Balban, Muazuddin Kaikobad, Jellaluddin Firuz, Allaudclin Muham-^ 

 mad Sikandar Sani ; Ghyasuddin Tughlak, Fakheruddin Mohammad 



3 Q 



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