| Specifications |
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Publisher: Aayu Publications, New Delhi |
| Author Debajit Dutta | |
| Language: English | |
| Pages: 242 (B/W Illustrations) | |
| Cover: HARDCOVER | |
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10.00x7.5 inch |
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Weight 660 gm |
| Edition: 2024 | |
| ISBN: 9789391685386 | |
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HBT843 |
| Delivery and Return Policies |
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Usually ships in 5 days |
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Returns and Exchanges accepted within 7 days |
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Free Delivery |
Ancient coins surviving into the present age are living commentaries on the dead past. So coins of a given period and area constitute an important source of information about its history and culture. In the field of antiquarian studies in particular, where the quantity of sources is very restricted, coins constitute a major body of historical, economic and artistic material and evidence. The importance of coins as a source of history can hardly be undermined in a country like India where genuine historical chronicles comparable to those of the west are not only rare but almost unavailable. In this backdrop coins, a very important component of an archaeological object can help us to reconstruct the past based on the true parameters set by both western and Indian scholars. It is common to believe that coins don't adequately compete with literary sources in revealing the complexities of the past and merely confirm history but seldom modify or amplify it. However, they can shed ample light on the political, economic, social, religious, administrative and also on the historical geography of a certain region. From a close study of the symbolic significance of the varied emblems found on coins, we can know about various important events of royal history, as well as the history of the general people and thus can draw a general picture of contemporary life.
In the late-medieval period, the Koch kingdom an important politico-cultural identity of sub-Himalayan northern Bengal had its glorious series of coinage. As a royal issue, the coins of the Koch kingdom were the emblems of royalty and symbolic majesty of the Koch kings. The metals, the motifs, the legends as well as other accompanying details on the coins depict the details of faiths and customs adopted by the Koch kingdom. As the coinage can shed light on many aspects of the history and culture of a region, in this respect Koch kingdom is no exception, particularly as coins coin are the earliest historical documents that survive from the region. The dates on them give a firm chronological framework for the early kings, and the extent of the coinage at different periods demonstrates the changing economic wealth of the country and traces the trading links with the neighbouring areas. These coins mark the beginning of a new stage of economic development not only for the Koch kingdom but also for the entire North East India as before the Koch coinage money in its organized form was almost non-existent in North East India. The currency is not only important on the above-mentioned grounds but also it could tell the British imperial intentions and their gradual penetration in the economy and politics of the Koch kingdom in particular, as due to their politico-economic interest the Koch currency gradually de-monetized in the latter half of the eighteenth century.
Although in recent years few papers have been published about particular aspects of the coins of the Koch kingdom, no comprehensive survey of current knowledge on the subject has been written. The writers of the history of this region have not shown their interest in using the numismatic data, through which a better perspective into Koch history can be gained. Keeping in mind. the above background of research on Koch coinage the present study has presented a thorough study of Koch coinage by exploring the different frontiers of numismatic elements like political, economic and cultural perspectives and thus tried to establish a correlation between the Koch coinage and coinage tradition of India. The present volume is the modified version of my PhD thesis Koch Coinage: A Study in Historical Perspective submitted to the University of North Bengal.
The historical analysis involves a careful examination of the available sources of information searching for fresh evidence and devising creative, innovative ways of interpreting historical data. It involves asking new questions and searching for new answers to old ones. Debate and disagreement are an important part of the growth of all forms of knowledge and history is no exception. All historical interpretation is ultimately based on two categories of sources: literary and archaeological. From a historical point of view, literary sources include all texts and, on the other hand, archaeological sources include all tangible material remains like an inscription, coins and inscribed images. Among these archaeological sources, coins have a unique place in the reconstruction of old events. It is right to state that coins have enormous power for initiating an unending dialogue between the past and the present. A.H.M. Jones pointed out the value of numismatic evidence with the following words: Numismatic is a science in its own right. Coins deserve study both from the technical and artistic point of view and must be classified typographically and chronologically.
A coin, technically, is a piece of metal of prescribed weight, embellished with designs or legends and produced under the direction of a public or private authority for its use as a medium of exchange. Every coin has two sides, Obverse and Reverse. The obverse is also called the head. It is the main side of a coin carrying the portrait head of the ruler or a symbol and name of the country. The reverse is the back side of a coin and is called the tail. It depicts the denomination or issue price of the coin with the year and mint mark underneath. It is to be noted that the term Numismatic is derived from the Latin word 'numisma' (i.e. currency) which signifies, 'the study of coins'. Numismatics or the study of coins includes the analysis of the material out of which coins were made; the identification of the sources of the metal; the classification and study of the form of the coins based on their fabric (size, shape, thickness, design, workmanship), metrology (weight), design, metallic composition, techniques of manufacture and message content. Besides this technical side, the study of coins gives an insight into many aspects of the culture of a region. At first glance, coins may appear to carry little historical information, but they provide ample light on several important historical processes. Their very existence and, in particular, the denominations and number of pieces issued shed light on the economic and social structure of the country. The issuing authority sheds light on the political history. The quality of production indicates technological developments. The metal content indicates either minting activity if the metal was mined locally or trading links if the metal was imported. The choice of design and inscription often shows the religious preferences of the issuing authority and the quality of execution sheds light on religious iconography and artistic development. In fact, coins are datable contemporary documents of a rather special nature and as such, they can be of great value to historians.
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