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1 Paika - Muhammad bin Tughluq
| Issuer | Delhi Sultanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1325-1351 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Paika (1⁄48) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing the Arabic honorific inscription 'Al-imam al-adil' (The Just Imam) rendered in bold Naskh script. The legend occupies the majority of the flan in multiple lines, characteristic of the South Indian type issues of Muhammad bin Tughluq. The hammered flan is irregular in shape with typical die alignment of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | الامام العادل |
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| Additional information |
Muhammad bin Tughluq's monetary experiments are among the most disastrous in medieval Indian history. Around 1329, he introduced a token currency in copper and brass intended to substitute for silver tanka — a scheme so aggressively counterfeited by the general population that merchants refused the coins entirely and the sultan was eventually forced to redeem the debased tokens at face value from the treasury, reportedly ruining the royal finances in the process. Ibn Battuta, who served at the Delhi court, documented the collapse firsthand.
Whether this specific paika denomination circulated during the token currency crisis or predates it remains a point of scholarly dispute.