History of the taka
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The taka, also known as the tanka or tangka, was one of the major historical currencies of Asia, particularly in the Indian subcontinent and Tibet. It was introduced in the 14th century and became a currency of the Silk Road. Its history is intertwined with the medieval Islamic history and culture of the Indian subcontinent.
In modern times, the Bangladeshi taka is considered a legacy of the historical taka because Bengal was the stronghold of the currency. It was inscribed in numerous languages across different regions, including in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Hindustani, Bengali, Nepali, Tibetan and Mandarin.
Etymology
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and Banglapedia, the word taka came from the Sanskrit word tankah.[1][2]
Introduction in North India
The imperial tanka (also called Sultani tanka) was officially introduced by the monetary reforms of
Arakan
The Bengal tanka was widely circulated in the Kingdom of Mrauk U (now in Myanmar) in the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was a vassal state of the Bengal Sultanate.
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Silver tanka from Arakan with Perso-Arabic script
Bangladesh
The Bangladeshi taka is the currency of modern Bangladesh. It was officially introduced in 1972 by the Bangladesh Bank to replace the Pakistani rupee at par following the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War and is produced by Bangladesh's Security Printing Corporation. The Bangladeshi taka carries the symbols ৳ and Tk.
Bengal
The taka was traditionally equal to one silver rupee in Islamic Bengal.
The taka continued to be issued in
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Silver taka ofBengaliscript
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Silver taka of Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah with Arabic script and a lion symbol
East India
In 14th-century Odisha, epigraphic records use terms such as vendi-tanka (alloyed silver) and sasukani-tanka (bullion). The tanka spread to the region from the Delhi Sultanate.[8]
Nepal
The tanka standard was introduced in the prosperous Himalayan Kathmandu Valley (Nepal proper) in the 16th century. It was modeled on the currency of Delhi, Bengal and the Mughal Empire. The Nepalese tanka was a debased silver coin struck in 10 g. weight with minor denominations of 1⁄4, 1⁄32, 1⁄123, 1⁄512. It was introduced by King Indra Simha.[9]
Pakistan
Until 1971, the present-day
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A Pakistani banknote with Bengali script denoting 10 taka
South India
The tanka was widely minted in the
Tibet
The Tibetan tangka was an official currency of Tibet for three centuries. It was introduced by Lhasa Newar merchants from Nepal in the 16th century. The merchants used Nepalese tanka on the Silk Road. The Tibetan government began to mint the tangka in the 18th century. The first Tibetan tangka was minted in 1763/64. China's Qing dynasty, Tibet's suzerain,[citation needed] established mints in the region in 1792.[citation needed] The Sino-Tibetan tangka carried Chinese language inscriptions.[10]
Banknotes were issued between 1912 and 1941 in denominations of 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 tangka.
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Tibetan tangka minted by the Qing dynasty
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Tibetan tangka in Ranjana script
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The Gaden tangka, which was used until 1948
West India
In the 15th century, the Gujarat Sultanate, on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent, began to mint silver tanka. It was a symbol of sovereignty for the Muzaffarid dynasty of Gujarat.
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Silver tanka in Perso-Arabic script (Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah I reign)
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Silver tanka in Perso-Arabic script (Ahmad Shah reign)
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Early copper tanka
See also
References
- ^ Company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. "The American Heritage Dictionary entry: taka". www.ahdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
- ^ "Taka". en.banglapedia.org. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ Shoaib Daniyal. "History revisited: How Tughlaq's currency change led to chaos in 14th century India". scroll.in. Archived from the original on 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ "Taka – Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ISBN 978-3-515-08704-9.
- ^ "Coins – Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ "Currency System – Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Archived from the original on 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ISBN 978-81-7387-075-0.
- from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ^ Bertsch, Wolfgang: The Currency of Tibet. A Sourcebook for the Study of Tibetan Coins, Paper Money and other forms of Currency. Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, 2002.