Maratha Confederacy, Silver Rupee Balanagar Gadha (Mandla)

Ruler : INO Shah Alam II
Era : (AH 1201 / RY 29)
Mint : Balanagar Gadha (Mandla)
Denomination : Rupee
Metal : Silver
Weight :  11.10 grams
Diameter : 21.6 mmd
Grade : AU to UNC.
Dated :  AH 1201 / RY 28
Reference : Maheshwari & Wiggins Page 105 T1

Obverse :
“Saya-e-fazle elah” couplet & mint mark trident & scemitar.

Reverse :
Sana julus maimanat manus zarb ‘Balanagar Gadha’, star mint & RY.

Comment :
Garha Mandala , commonly called Mandala, is a town in a district of the same name in the former central provinces. In 1742 the Marathas invaded the Gond country and killed the Raja, Maharaj Shah, but allowed the son to succeed him on the payment of an annual tribute of four lakhs. This extortionate demand virtually ruined the Gond Kingdom. Some of their lands were seized by Raghoji Bhonsla and meanwhile the Mandla court became the scene of innumerable intrigues and assassinations. The Peshwa, about this time, deputed his power in Central India to the Maratha Rajas of Sagar. The latter readily took over the charge and seeing the Gond kingdom dissolving in chaos sent the Maratha general, Moraji, into the country. Moraji final reduced Narhar shah, the last Gond ruler of Madala and put him to death.
In 1781 the Maratha chief of Sagar took complete possession of Mandla. making it a subah subordinate to Jabalpur. The general Moraji was appointed the first governor and for the next eighteen years a succession of Maratha governors ruled the country with great severity. In 1799 the Bhonsla Raja of Nagpur was invited to take over Mandla in exchange for assistance rendered by him to the Raja of Sagar. Thereafter the district was governed by a subahdar from Nagpur. This state of things continued until Mandla was ceded to the British in 1818 at the close of the Third Maratha War. It would seem that the name Balanagar Gadha was given to Mandla during the Maratha occupation and used as the mint name on the coins.

AU/UNC grade with full mint name readable as ‘Balanagar Gadha’. Rare.