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1 Tankah - Sanda Thudhamma
| Issuer | Kingdom of Arakan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1653 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears a three-line Bengali script inscription filling the entire field, reading 'Sri Sri / Sanda Thudhamma / Raja', denoting the royal title and name of the Arakanese king. The legends are rendered in a bold, somewhat cursive Bengali hand characteristic of seventeenth-century Arakanese coinage. The coin's surface is irregular due to the hammered technique, with the inscribed field framed by the natural flan edge. No additional decorative elements or borders are present, the inscription alone dominating the design. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a three-line Bengali script inscription occupying the full field, presenting the Islamic Shahada in Bengali characters: 'La ilaha illallahu / Muhammadur Rasulullah', accompanied by the regnal or Hijri year '১০১৫' (1015 AH) in the lower line. A horizontal dividing line separates the upper portion of the legend from the lower, a compositional feature common on Arakanese tanka coinage of this period. The lettering is boldly incuse, somewhat compressed to fit the round flan, and exhibits the characteristic irregularity of hammered silver production. The field shows natural flow lines and a patinated silver surface consistent with age and circulation. |
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| Additional information |
Sanda Thudhamma came to power in 1652 after orchestrating the murder of his predecessor Narapati II, making his coinage among the more politically fraught of the Arakanese series. The Tankah denomination itself had roots in Mughal monetary conventions — Arakan's long commercial entanglement with Bengal meant its silver coinage absorbed both the weight standards and, at times, the calligraphic conventions of its more powerful neighbor to the west.
KM#14 is one of the better-documented types from this reign, though die alignment inconsistencies are common across surviving specimens.