Chapter RUBLE to RUPEE of R by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

, as 10:1. Mahommed Tughlak remodelled the currency, issuing gold pieces of 200 g rs. and silver pieces of 140 grs.—an indication probably of a great “depreciation of gold” (to use our modern language) consequent on the enormous amount of gold bullion obtained from the plunder of Western and Southern India. Some years later (1330) Mahommed developed his notable scheme of a forced currency, consisting entirely of copper tokens. This threw everything into confusion, and it was not till six years later that any sustained issues of ordinary coin were recommenced. From about this time the old standard of 175 grs. was readopted for gold, and was maintained till the time of Sher Shah. But it does not appear that the old standard was then resumed for silver. In the reign of Mahommed’s successor Feroz Shah, Mr. E. Thomas’s examples show the gold coin of 175 grs. standard running parallel with continued issues of a silver (or professedly silver) coin of 140 grs.; and this, speaking briefly, continued to be the case to the end of the Lodi dynasty (i.e. 1526). The coinage seems to have sunk into a state of great irregularity, not remedied by Baber (who struck ashrafis (see ASHRAFEE) and dirhams, such as were used in Turkestan ) or Humayun, but the reform of which was undertaken by Sher Shah, as above mentioned.

His silver coin of 175–178 grs. was that which popularly obtained the name of rupiya, which has continued to our day. The weight, indeed, of the coins so styled, never very accurate in native times, varied in different States, and the purity varied still more. The former never went very far on either side of 170 grs., but the quantity of pure silver contained in it sunk in some cases as low as 140 grs., and even, in exceptional cases, to 100 grs. Variation however was not confined to native States. Rupees were struck in Bombay at a very early date of the British occupation. Of these there are four specimens in the Br. Mus. The first bears obv. ‘THE RVPEE OF BOMBAIM. 1677. BY AUTHORITY OF CHARLES THE SECOND; rev. KING OF GREAT BRITAINE. FRANCE. AND. IRELAND.’ Wt. 167·8 gr. The fourth bears obv. ‘HON. SOC. ANG. IND. ORI.’ with a shield; rev. ‘A. DEO. PAX. ET. INCREMENTUM:—MON. BOMBAY. ANGLIC. REGIM^s. A° 7°.’ Weight 177·8 gr. Different Rupees minted by the British Government were current in the three Presidencies, and in the Bengal Presidency several were current; viz. the Sikka (see SICCA) Rupee, which latterly weighed 192 grs., and contained 176 grs. of pure silver; the Farrukhabad, which latterly weighed 180 grs.,² containing 165·215 of pure silver; the Benares Rupee (up to 1819), which weighed 174·76 grs., and contained 168·885 of pure silver. Besides these there was the Chalani or ‘current’ rupee of account, in which the Company’s accounts were kept, of which 116 were equal to 100 sikkas. [“The bhari or Company’s Arcot rupee was coined at Calcutta, and was in value 3½ per cent. less than the Sikka rupee” (Beveridge, Bakarganj, 99).] The Bombay Rupee was adopted from that of Surat, and from 1800 its weight was 178·32 grs.; its pure silver 164·94. The Rupee at Madras (where however the standard currency was of an entirely different character, see PAGODA) was originally that of the Nawab of the Carnatic (or ‘Nabob of Arcot’) and was usually known as the Arcot Rupee. We find its issues varying from 171 to 177 grs. in weight, and from 160 to 170 of pure silver; whilst in 1811 there took place an abnormal coinage, from Spanish dollars, of rupees with a weight of 188 grs. and 169·20 of pure silver.

Also from some reason or other, perhaps from commerce between those places and the ‘Coast,’ the Chittagong and Dacca currency (i.e. in the extreme east of Bengal) “formerly consisted of Arcot rupees; and they were for some time coined expressly for those districts at the Calcutta and Dacca Mints. (!) (Prinsep, Useful Tables, edition by E. Thomas, 24.)

These examples will give some idea of the confusion that prevailed (without any reference to the vast variety besides of native coinages), but the subject is far too complex to be dealt with minutely in the space we can afford to it in such a work as this. The first step to reform and assimilation took place under Regulation VII. of 1833, but this still maintained the exceptional Sicca in Bengal, though assimilating the rupees over the rest of India. The Sicca was abolished as a coin by Act XIII. of 1836; and the universal rupee of British territory has since been the “Company’s Rupee,” as it was long called, of 180 grs. weight and 165 pure silver, representing therefore in fact the Farrukhabad Rupee.

1610.—“This armie consisted of 100,000 horse at the least, with infinite number of Camels and Elephants: so that with the whole baggage there could not bee lesse than fiue or sixe hundred thousand persons, insomuch that the waters were not sufficient for them; a Mussocke (see MUSSUCK) of water being sold for a Rupia, and yet not enough to be had.”—Hawkins, in Purchas, i. 427.

[1615.—“Roupies Jangers (Jahangiri) of 100 pisas, which goeth four for five ordinary roupies of 80 pisas called Cassanes (see KUZZANNA), and we value them at 2s. 4d. per piece: Cecaus (see SICCA) of Amadavrs which goeth for 86 pisas; Challennes of Agra, which goeth for 83 pisas.”—Foster, Letters, iii. 87.]

1616.—“Rupias monetae genus est, quarum singulae xxvi assibus gallicis aut circiter aequivalent.”—Jarric, iii. 83.

” “…As for his Government of Patan onely, he gave the King eleven Leckes of Rupias (the Rupia is two shillings, twopence sterling)…wherein he had Regall Authoritie to take what he list, which was esteemed at five thousand horse, the pay of every one at two hundred Rupias by the yeare.”—Sir T. Roe, in Purchas, i. 548; [Hak. Soc. i. 239, with some differences of reading].

” “They call the peeces of money roopees, of which there are some of divers values, the meanest worth two shillings and threepence, and the best