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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
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863 to 917 (A.D. 1458-1511), one of the best known of the Bultans of Gujarat. BAI Harir is described in line 8 f. as "the general superintendent at the door of the king's harem," and in line 18 as "the powerfol, religious, chief councillor of king Mahmud." The local traditions regarding the builder of the well are confused. Forbes' calls it " the Nurse's Well," which corresponds with Mr. Blochmann's translation of the Arabic inscription, which names the builder as “Sri-B&i Harir, the royal (slave], the nurse." Briggs, in his Cities of Gujarashtra, records the tradition that the builder was a man, which corresponds with the popular name by which the well is now known as Dada Harir's Well. The overseer was & Musalman, and the artisans were Hindus (1. 24 ff.).
The substance of the inscription is that Bal Harir caused a well to be built in the Gurjara country, in the village of Harirpur, north-east of AhmadAbad, at & cost of 3,29,000 (Mahmadia), for the refreshment of men, beasts, birds, insects and plants, and to please God. The name of the coin is not mentioned, but it was probably the Mahmudi, the standard silver coin of that period. The following note on the Mahmadis has been kindly prepared for me by Rev. Geo. Taylor of Ahmadabad, who has made a careful study of the coins of the Sultans of Gujarat, and possesses a unique collection.
" During the reign of Mahmûd Shah L., surnamed Baiqara (A.H. 863-917; A.D. 14581511), the silver coin in most frequent rise throughout the province of Gujarat was the Mahmúdt. It is still by far the most common of the coins that have come down from the period of the Gujarat Sultanate (A.H. 799-980; A.D. 1396-1572); and I imagine quite half of all the silver coins of that period, now procurable in the bdades of Gujarat, were issued during the long reign of this Mahmûd, and bear his name.
“There is considerable variation in the designs impressed on these coins, some bearing an elaborate device executed with much skill, while others, especially those of an early date, are distinctly inferior both in design and workmanship. The type quite the most common of all
,and the Hijri date السلطان العظم ناصر الدنيا والدین ابو الفتی hes on the obverse the legend
the whole enclosed within a circle; and on the reverse, within a square, are the words all yours lawl, with marginal readings varying according to the mint.
"As to the value of the Mahmudi it is impossible to speak with precision owing to its frequent changes in weight. The two heaviest in my possession turn the scale ench at 177 grains, and are perhaps "double Masmadis ;" the lightest is but 33 grains. The average weight of fourteen, all of the same type, is 87 grains, or slightly less than the weight of half a rupee. An almost perfect specimen, dated 905 A.H., weighs 89 grains. Early writers on India gave widely different values of the Mahnidi, their estimates ranging from 4 to 24 of the rupee. A probable explanation of this difference is that any coin bearing the name of the Sultan Mahmûd (Baiqara) might with reason have been called s.Mahmudi, and some travellers may have based their estimate on one, others on another, of the very diverse coins issued by this Saltån. For a like transference of a sovereign's name to his coin compare the Mugaffari and the Napoleon."
TEXT. 1 TA: fram i that are grazie art. (1) 2 fun 99910 Thi TH Tarefa [*] | [no] 3 जयति जगत्रयजननी कुंडिलिनी' नामतः परा श
Oriental Memoirs, Vol. IIL p. 140 (new edition, p. 209). • Ind. Ant. Vol. IV. p. 367. + [I Porsens an undated specimen weighing 90 grains.-E. H. • From an inked estampage, and from the original • Metre: Annabubh.
6 Metre: Arga.
Rendit.
