‹ è̟a Sri Hara dèva. Fig. 31, bears on the obverse the name of The reverse seems to begin with the same letters as fig. 30, viz. ¶ ÁT Asά; after which follow at a short interval, . . ĦĦ¡ ¤.. Masána dèva. It may be hereafter found that some of the above belong to what may be called the transition period, when attempts were made to express Musalmáni names and titles in the vernacular character of India, of which I will now endeavour to produce such instances as Colonel STACY's rich collection offers. The name of the Rája on the obverse of all the transition or link coins is : Sri Hamiras; this important and well-known name may be found, either in full or in part, on figs. 20, (in this the engraver has reversed the whole die,) 22, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40. The same name also occurs on figs. 44, 47, and 49, with an Arabic accompaniment, as will be presently noticed. The first example of a Moslem title in its simplest form occurs in figs. 32 and 35, in the Nágari word ftam Suritán; this has no meaning in Hindi, and I conjecture that it is intended for the Arabic title, Sultán: the remainder of the sentence is in these two instances wanting. Figs. 34, 39, 40, and 41. In these four we find a more complete paraphrase of the far sounding titles of the Delhi sovereigns; at least I conjecture that सुरिताणमा समसदोष (or as in 34, देण) is nothing more than Sultán Shah Shamsh ud-din. Figs. 36, 37, and 38, are equally capable, and only capable, of an interpretation on the same principle: the Devanagarí letters on the reverse run thus: FlagĦE B1 Sá Mahamada Sámè, which I would convert into Shah Muhammed Samè. The initial word will admit of being read Srí; but the rest of the legend is quite clear and satisfactory. The name of Hamíra, as before stated, is repeated on the obverse of all these curious coins. We have now to trace it into a field one step farther removed from the primitive standard. Figs. 48 and 49. In these, the first of the succeeding group in point of date, the horse and his rider, are transformed into singular symbols, which only our prior acquaintance with the original could enable us to decypher: the word on the first, and the termination of Hamirah Ar on the other, are still discernible in their usual position. On the reverse, the characteristic style of the Afghán coinage is adopted, and the Arabic version, were it completely visible, Ul Sultan السلطان شمش الدنيا والدين التمش would evidently be Shems ul-dunya va ul-din Altamsh. The reading commences from below. Figs. 42 and 44, again exhibit to the right of the horse's head, the name of : Srí Hamiras, as usual. On fig. 43, it escapes detec tion only by want of room on the field. In all three, the hieroglyphic which has hitherto passed for the helmeted head of the horseman, has been either designedly or unintentionally removed, and the Arabic word Mahmud substituted. On the other face, the full titles of this sovereign, who was the son of Altamsh, may be recognized without much trouble, thus: " Ul Sultan ul A - azem Nasir al du عظم ناصرالد .nyava al din نيا و الدين the inscription terminating in the "Mahmud" of the opposite face. Fig. 25, of the preceding plate, is another coin of the same name and nature. Fig. 47. On this variety of the Hamíra group, the Arabic titles Ul Sultan Fatah al-dunya ba السلطان فتاح الدنيا والدین are apparently ul-dín. I only perceive one specimen of this reading in Col. STACY's collection. Fig. 45. The next variety of the mixed impression retains the horseman with the Hindu name, but the Arabic titles are now . .. . . .Ul Sultan Abu al fateh ul Moazzem السلطان ابو الفتح المعظم Fig. 24, is the last on the list, exhibiting the semblance of a horseman. The small portion of the Arabic legend, included on the reverse, is fortunately sufficient to point out the owner, and enable us to com Ul Sultan ul aazem Ala ul السلطان الاعظم علا الدنيا والدين plete it dunya va ul dín, (Muhammed Shah.) Figs. 23 and 46. There still remains undescribed a curious variety of the "" bull and horseman" coin, in which the bull side is retained with the Sri Samanta dèva; while, contrary to usage, the horse is omitted, or replaced by an Arabic legend in the connected or flowing character. The whole purport of it is not well ascertained, but the legible portion of the two middle lines is thus read by some bl Juc bcllll Ul Sultán ul áăzem, ul Sultán Adil. . Others find in it the name of Subactegín; and I am inclined to adjudge it rather to an earlier period than the Ghórí dynasty, both from the Arabic style, and from the retention of the name of Samanta dèva on the reverse. Figs. 26 and 50. We now pass to a new form of coin, allied to the foregoing, indeed, by the retention of Hindí on one side, but differing from them in the total rejection of the pictorial emblems. That the proper orthography of the word Sultán was now attained is evident in the initial letters.. Sri Sultá.. The lower line presents three letters mavvaj, which may be intended for moazz, thus الاعظم معز الدنيا والدين agreeing with the Arabic of the opposite face blm Ul Sultán ul áăzem moaz ul dunya va ul din (either Bairam Sháh, 1239, or Kai Kobad, 1286?) the only two emperors which bore the appellation of Moaz ul-dín. From the last coin, the passage is easy to those of purely Muhammedan aspect, such as are described in MARSDEN'S Numismata, vol. ii. ; but this author does not appear to have had an opportunity of examining an intermediate group of coins, on which, in deference to the conquered people, a Nágarí inscription was retained on the margin. They are by no means uncommon; yet it is rare to find the marginal legend perfect. MARSDEN'S DCCXIII., of Toghlak Shah, is of this species; but in it the Nágarí falls beyond the limits of the disc. I have therefore thought that a few examples of this group might form a proper appendage to the present series, and have accordingly introduced three varieties from Colonel STACY's and my own collections, to fill up the plate. Fig. 51, the earliest in date, must be read from the reverse Ul Sultan ul adzem Ghias ul السلطان الاعظم غياث الدنيا والدين بلبن dunya va ul-dín, (and in the centre of the obverse,) Balban; the latter is encircled by a Nágarí sentence, of which gaar.. is visible. Figs. 54, 55, and 56, are coins of the celebrated ALAUDDIN*, the الدنيا والدين محمد شاه disposition of the titles and name as before He blll Ul Sultán Alu ul dunya va ul-dín Muhammed Shah. On the margin, Sri Sultán Shah, (A. H.) 706. Figs. 52 and 53, close our present series; they bear the titular الا عظم غیاث الدنيا والدین تغلق شاه designations of ToGHLA SHAH bi Ul Sultán ul áăzem Ghiás ul dunya va ul-dín, Toghlak Shah. The Nágarí of the margin is similar to the last, but imperfect, as if cut by one ignorant of the language. After the complete and satisfactory evidence we have just examined, little need be said as to the epoch to which at least the mixed or Hindu-Muhammedan portion of the bull and horseman group belongs : for, from the names inscribed in Nágarí or Arabic, or from the titles or cognomina, which are in fact as frequently the names by which the Musalmán sovereigns are known, we can nearly fill up the first century of the Patán monarchs of Delhi, thus: Sri Muhammed Same is, I presume, MUHAMMED BIN SÁMUL GHORI, the first of the dynasty, commonly known by his cognomen Shahábul-din, who possessed himself of the throne of Delhi, A. H. 588, A. D. 1192. Shamsh ul-din, in Nágárí and Arabic, is Altamsh, A. H. 607 A. D. 1210 Moaz ul-din, must be BAIRAM SHAH, his son, 637 1239 * At the time of engraving the plate, I mistook the MUHAMMED SHA'H for the son of TOGHLAK: the date corrects me. Alá ul-din, may be MASAUD, the son of FIROZ, A. H. 640 A. D. 1242 Násir ul-dín, denotes MAHMUD, son of ALTAMSH, 643 1245 Ghias ul-din, BALBAN, has the full name also, It is not from these names, however, but rather from the Hindu ones, that we must seek to fix the locality of the bull and horseman insignia, and the readiest mode of arriving at the truth is to proceed backwards, the best chance of verifying the names of Rájas being through their preservation, even in a corrupt form, in the pages of Moslem history. HAMIRAS, the name common to so many of the series, is admirably adapted for our purpose. He can be no other than the HAMIR* of the Mewár chronicles, who, born and nurtured in the forests of Ondwa, was destined to revive the glory of Chitór, even after it had succumbed to two successive assaults under the unsparing ALLA. We find it recorded in FERISHTA's history, (A. D. 1304,) that “at length finding it of no use to retain Chitór, the king ordered the Prince KHIZR KHÁN to evacuate it, and to make it over to the nephew of the Rája. This Hindu- Prince, in a short time, restored the principality to its former condition, and retained the tract of Chitór as tributary to ALLA-UD-DIN, during the rest of his reignt." According to Top‡, HAMIR Succeeded to the throne in Samvat 1357, (A. D. 1300,) and had sixty-four years to redeem his country from the ruins of the past century, which period had elapsed since India ceased to own the paramount sway of her native princes." These 64 years would include nearly the whole reign of ALLA I., and that of his successors OMAR, MUBARIK, KHOSRU, TOGHLAK, his son MUHAMMED, and FIROZ. On the coins themselves, we have found the obverse of HAMIRA coupled with the stamp of Mahamad Sámè, Shams ul-dín, Alla ul-dín, Násir ul-dín, and Fatáh ul-dín; three of whom are clearly anterior to the reign of ALA-UD-DIN; ALTAMSH alone bore the cognomen of Shamsh ul-dín; his son that of Násir ul-dín; and MAHAMMED GHORí that of Sámè. We might indeed read the latter word Sánt, and so apply it and the title of Násir ul-dín to MUHAMMED II. the son of TOGHLAK, whose cognomen is not recorded. But still Shamsh ul-dín remains unexplained, and the apparent anachronism cannot be accounted for. should be noted that the name of HAMIR is not mentioned in FERISHTA ; but only the" nephew of the Rája Ratan Sinh." The cognomen Fatah ul-din is not to be found in the whole line of the Patán Sultáns. * Humberdew of BRIGG's Ferishta, Amir deo of Dow, when speaking of the siege of Rintimpore: he is not mentioned afterwards by name, nor as of Mewár. + BRIGG's Ferishta, i. 363. ‡ Rájasthan, i. 269. as It Mewár had been in subjection to the Delhi monarchs since the invasions of MUHAMMED GHORI; ALTAMSH also invaded it in 1210: hence there can be the less doubt that the barbarized names, Sri Mahamad Sáme and Sri Samasoden, on the indigenous coinage applied to these two sovereigns, notwithstanding the difficulty above alluded to. The fortunate preservation of HAMIRA's name, in conjunction with those of his allies, upon these coins, proves at any rate the identical place of their coinage, and fixes it at Chitór, the seat of the dynasty founded by BAPPA, in A. D. 727, after the destruction of the Balhára monarchy of Saurashtra. This information also limits our search for the names previous to Hamira, to the descendants of BAPPA Ráwel, of whom two or three genealogical lists have been preserved in various inscriptions, some decyphered and explained by Mr. WILSON, in the As. Researches, vol. xv., and others by Colonel ToD. The latter authority enjoyed the advantage of filling up the history of Mewár from the national poems and traditions of the place; but it must be confessed, as strangely perplexing, that the names of the immediate predecessors of HAMIRA should be at total variance in the Hindu and the Muhammedan accounts. Thus, FERISHTA makes RAY RATAN SE'N the Rája of Chitór, who was taken prisoner at the sack of the fort, and who escaped through a romantic stratagem of his daughter, and continued to ravage the country until his nephew was installed as above stated in the masnad. Colonel ToD makes the name of the imprisoned Rája, ВHíмSI, and that of his daughter, PADMANÍ. The circumstances which led to the admission of the fair heroine into the hostile camp with her 700 litters, each freighted like the Trojan horse, are also differently related by the two authors. It will be a strong motive for the preference of the Hindu account, if the BHIMA DE VA of our coins can be identified with this BHÍмSI (Bhima sinha): but the short interval from his return to Chitór to the death of himself and his family in the sack which followed, would hardly allow the issue of a regular coinage in his name at such a turbulent period. The style also of the Nágarí alphabet (the bh especially) differs materially from that of HAMIRA's name. Yet there is no other Bhima in the Mewár list. FERISHTA mentions one (Bhim-dew), as the brother of SHUNKUL Dew, the Prince of Deogir, contemporaneous with ALLA; but he does not seem to have attained the throne. In the collateral line of the Gujerat Rájas, the same name occurs thrice, the last in 1209, of whom the Moslem histories make frequent mention; but the insignia of this Ráj are of a distinct character, and will not admit of our transferring the bull and horseman device thither for an owner*. * Bhima de`va of Gujerát was defeated by MUHAMMED GHóri' (or Sámè ?) in A. D. 1178. |