The silver coin called rupiya, the ancestor of the modern Indian rupee, was first issued by
- A.Sher Shah Suri
- B.Humayun
- C.Akbar
- D.Jahangir
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Sher Shah Suri. As part of his reform of the currency he issued a silver coin of about one hundred and seventy-eight grains called the rupiya, together with a copper dam and a gold mohur, and fixed their rates of exchange. The Mughals and later the British kept the silver rupee, so the modern rupee descends directly from this coin. Option B is wrong because Humayun lost the throne to Sher Shah and carried out no monetary reform. Option C is wrong because Akbar continued the rupiya and added the Ilahi era date and square pieces, but did not create it. Option D is wrong because Jahangir is remembered for his zodiac coins and portrait coins. The pairing of Sher Shah with the rupiya is the single most repeated fact of the chapter.
Read the full article: Coins and Currency in Indian History: Exam Notes
Practice Questions
View allThe earliest coins of India, stamped with separate symbols and carrying no legend, are known as
- A.Punch-marked coins
- B.Dinara coins
- C.Jital coins
- D.Potin coins
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These are the oldest Indian coins, mostly silver pieces cut into irregular shapes and impressed with symbols punched one at a time, such as the sun, a six-armed wheel, hills, trees and animals.
Read the full explanation →The silver tanka and the copper jital were introduced in India by which ruler?
- A.Qutb-ud-din Aibak
- B.Iltutmish
- C.Alauddin Khalji
- D.Firoz Shah Tughlaq
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Iltutmish gave the Delhi Sultanate its standard coinage by issuing the silver tanka and the copper jital, with purely Arabic legends and the name of the mint, and this pair remained the basis of Sultanate currency.
Read the full explanation →The token currency of brass and copper, made legal tender at the value of silver, was issued by
- A.Balban
- B.Muhammad bin Tughlaq
- C.Sikandar Lodi
- D.Akbar
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In 1329 or 1330 he issued brass and copper tokens declared to be worth a silver tanka.
Read the full explanation →Coins bearing the twelve signs of the zodiac were issued by which Mughal emperor?
- A.Akbar
- B.Jahangir
- C.Shah Jahan
- D.Aurangzeb
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Jahangir struck a celebrated series of gold and silver coins showing the twelve signs of the zodiac, and another series carrying his own portrait, which is unusual in Islamic coinage; he also issued coins in the name of Nur Jahan.
Read the full explanation →The largest number of gold coins in ancient India was issued by which dynasty?
- A.The Mauryas
- B.The Satavahanas
- C.The Guptas
- D.The Cholas
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Gupta gold coins, called dinara, survive in greater numbers than those of any other ancient Indian dynasty, and their types form a gallery of royal images: the King and Queen type, the Ashvamedha and Lyrist types of Samudragupta, and the Archer and Chakravikrama types of Chandragupta II.
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