Mysterious Coins from Multan before and after the Islamic conquest

Multan before & after the Islamic conquest

In ancient times Multan was known as "The House of Gold" and was the main religious center for a popular Indian solar cult centered around the deity Aditya. Alexander the Great's quest to conquer the world finished at Multan as he was defeated here and could not re-establish his forces to go further east.

Last coins of the Hindus in Multan before the Islamic conquest - quality silver drachm, SRI PARAKUTA type, Chach of Alor dynasty in Sindh and Multan, ca.632-711 AD

Stylized head right within a dotted border, Brahmi letter "Pra" on the forehead / Stylized Sassanian altar with the shaft replaced with three dots, stylized Brahmi letter "Sri" above, four characters "Ta-Pa/Ku-Ra" (probably should be read counterclockwise from "Sri", giving an inscription "Sri PaRaKuTa"). 12mmx11mm, 0.64 grams, Multan mint. Mitchiner ACW 4905-4909; Mitchiner NIS 269-276.

These coins are fairly common, but ALWAYS appear in a very poor state of preservation. Because of this, these coins were misdescribed both times they appeared in publications - Mitchiner described them as "Guptas from north of Malwa" (and this is the most common attribution for these coins used). In a mongoraph published about these coins LC Gupta and SJ Mangalam attributed them to Sri Gupta, the first Gupta ruler. Both attributions are certainly wrong, since these coins are found in eastern Sindh, and not in Malwa. The misattributions took place because of the poor state of preservation of the available specimens - no coins with a full inscription were known until a small hoard of high quality coins.

Stylized head right within a dotted border, no letters on the small rounded bust (this is a rare variety) / Stylized Sassanian altar with the shaft replaced with three dots, stylized Brahmi letter "Sri" above, four characters "Ta-Pa/Ku-Ra" (probably should be read counterclockwise from "Sri", giving an inscription "Sri PaRaKuTa"). 12mm, 0.60 grams, Multan mint. Mitchiner ACW 4905-4909 (incorrectly described); Mitchiner NIS 269-276 (incorrectly desribed).

The coins in questions are mostly uniface with four or three large dots, two three Brahmi letters and other devices on the observe and a blank reverse. These Multan coins carry a mysterious Brahmi inscription Sri/Pa-Ra/Ku-Ta and can not be attributed to any known ruler. 


However, the reverse design, which exhibits a fire alter representaed as three prominent large dots topped by a wide and somewhat stylized Brahmi legend Sri.

These coins are fairly common and are found in a wide area in Pakistan and North Western India. The exact spots of these coins are not easy to determine. 

X-Ray Fluorescence analysis has shown that the silver content of the coins is about 85% with the main contaminant being copper at 13% and with trace amounts of gold, lead and arsenic.


The obverse design is most puzzling. It is sometime called a "stylized face" or a "Stylized Horse" but most often a "4 dots design" 

The four large dots are flanked with a pair of smaller dots (one on each side) and each of the five upper dots is topped with a rounded line or a bar.


There are two major types - one (by far, the most common one) with two of the upper dots connected to the lower one with lines (type A) and the other with all the dots unconnected (type B). If this design was indeed inspired by the Multan coins as explained above, the original meaning of a Gupta-or Sassanian style alter was completely lost and the design simply devolved into a serious of dots and lines. 

 AR Unit (Circa 7th or 8th Century CE) Dots and dashes perhaps representing a fire altar, Brahmi letters below; Ha Shi (Ha Si) Reverse blank as made 16mm, 1.24g Fishman, JONS 201, Type 7A .

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "HaGu" type.

Four dots and various lines, probably representing the extreme degeneration of a bust of a horse, Brahmi letters "Ha" and "Gu" / Blank. 16mm, 1.15 grams. JONS 201, Fishman type 9A.

The provenance of these coins is uncertain. Most authorities attribute itto 7th century Sind based on the shape of the Brahmi letters and thesimilarity of these coins to the late pre-Islamic and early Islamic coins of Sind.

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "HaVa" type

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "HaMaVa" type.

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "HaKa" type

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "Ha Cha" type.

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "Ha MaM" type.

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "Ha Tha " type.

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "Ha Pi " type.

Pre-Islamic Sind, India, ca.600-700 AD - "Ha Ka/ Vaka/ EKa " type.

Silver damma of governor Sa'al (?), bilingual type with Arabic and Brahmi inscriptions, pre-Habbarid Multan, ca.712-856 AD - Ummayad or Abbasid governors of Multan, among the first Islamic coins in India!

Three dots, stylized Brahmi "Sri" above, Brahmi letters "Ta" and "Pa" in fields, below Lillah Sa'al in arabic / Nagari legend SriJaYan / TaRaJa. 15mmx11mm, 0.57 grams. Unpublished and very rare.

The arabic legend gives the name of "Sa'al" - probably the name of the local Ummayad governor of Multan. The Brahmi legend "Sri Jayanta Raja" might either name the local Hindu ruler, or might be the epiphet for the Governor Sa'al, as it translates "Victorious lord King". The name of "Sa'al" has been variously read.

These coins are derived from the earlier "Sri Parakuta" pre-Islamic Multancoins.  These probably have the distinction of being among the very first Islamic coins struck in India. They are often attributed to the Habbarid rulers of Sindh and Multan, but the names on these coins do not correspond to the names of the known Habbarid rulers, and these coins are probably pre-Habbarid.

Silver damma of Mihira Deva / Mih, pre-Habbarid Multan, ca. 712-856 AD - Sun-temple issue from Multan.

Three dots, stylized Brahmi "Sri" above, Brahmi letters "Ta" and "Pa" in fields, below Lillah Mih in arabic / Brahmi legend "Sri Mi Hi / Ra De Va". 10mmx12mm, 0.62 grams. Unpublished and very rare. On this type the name written in Brahmi - Lord Mihira Deva (a completely Hindu name) seems to be repeated on the reverse and "In Allah Mih" ("Mih" almost certainly a short form of "Mihira"). It is possible that a local Hindi ruler embraced Islam (based on "Lillah"...) but issued coins under his old name as well. Interestingly, "Mihira" means "Sun" - probably a reference to the giant and famous sun temple in Multan  After the conquest of Multan by Umayyad Caliphate in 8th Century AD, under Muhammad bin Qasim, the Sun Temple became a source of great income for the Muslim invaders. Muhammad bin Qasim 'made captive of the custodians of the budd, numbering 6000' and looted its wealth, sparing the idol — which was made of wood, covered with red leather and two red rubies for its eyes and wearing a gem-studded gold crown — 'thinking it best to leave the idol where it was, but hanging a piece of cow's flesh on its neck by way of mockery'. This coin, with it's reference to "Mihira" in both Hindu and Muslim context, might be a link to these events.

Silver damma of governor Sa'al (?), bilingual type with Arabic and Brahmi inscriptions, pre-Habbarid Multan, ca.712-856 AD - Ummayad or Abbasid governors of Multan.

Three dots, stylized Brahmi "Sri" above, Brahmi letters "Ta" and "Pa" in fields, below Lillah Sa'al in arabic / Nagari legend SriJaYan / TaRaJa. 13mm, 0.52 grams. Unpublished and very rare. The arabic legend gives the name of "Sa'al" - probably the name of the local Ummayad governor of Multan. The Brahmi legend "Sri Jayanta Raja" might either name the local Hindu ruler, or might be the epiphet for the Governor Sa'al, as it translates "Victorious lord King". The name of "Sa'al" has been variously read.

Silver dramma, sub-governor al-Rabbi, Multan, Abbasid Sindh Province.

Silver-damma-of-sub-governor-Jalam-II-Multan

Silver damma in the name of the Governor Ahmed, pre-Habbarid Multan, ca. 712-856 AD - Ummayad governors of Multan.

Arabic inscription Allah Wali / Ahmed wa/ Nasereh in three lines ("Allah is the friend of Ahmed and his helper") / Three dots, stylized Brahmi "Sri" above, Brahmi letters "Pa" and "Ta" in fields, below Ahmed Lillah in arabic. 14mm, 0.60 grams. Unpublished and very rare.

These coins are derived from the earlier "Sri Parakuta" pre-Islamic Multan coins we also sell on our website. These coins probably have the destinction of being among the very first Islamic coins struck in India. These early Islamic types were first discovered some 10 years or so ago, and were never properly studied or published. They are often attributed to the Habbarid rulers of Sindh and Multan, but the names on these coins do not correspond to the names of the known Habbarid rulers, and these coins are probably pre-Habbarid. The identity of this "Ahmed" is not known, but he probably was the Ummayad governor of Multan.

Completely unpublished! Silver dirham of governor al-Rabbi', pre-Habbarid Multan, ca. 712-856 AD - Ummaya governors of Multan.

Three dots, stylized Brahmi "Sri" above, Brahmi letters "Ta" and "Pa+" in fields, below Lillah al-Rabbi' in arabic / Crude bust facing left within a dotted border. 13mm, 0.61 grams. Unpublished and very rare.

These coins are derived from the earlier "Sri Parakuta" pre-Islamic Multan coins.

"Yashaditya" series silver dammas, Ranavigraha, early 8th century CE, pre-Islamic Sindh.

Crowned head of the King right / Sri Ranavigraha in a circle around a trident. 9mm, 0.54 grams. Fishman/Todd #Y11.

The "Yashaditya" series coins are usually considered to be Hunnic, but it is very likely incorrect. The "trident" coins naming Ranavigraha are known from a single hoard, published in Fishman/Todd's "The Silver Damma" (https://www.numismall.com/acc/A.Fishman-I.Todd-The-Silver-Damma.html) in 2018. 

Absolute majority of the coins in the hoard were very poorly struck and were in a miserable condition - this piece is one of the best coins in the hoard, extremely rare in general and especially in this condition. In the book, this "Ranavigraha" is tentatively identified as Jayasimha, the son of Raja Dahir of Chach (the last pre-Islamic King of Sindh). If so, these coins must date to ca.712-715 CE, and these coins were minted in Southern Punjab (north of Multan) during Jayasimha's short exile which followed the Arab conquest of Sindh and sourthern Punjab.

"bull type" damma of Ranavigraha, "Yashaditya" series silver dammas, early 8th century CE, pre-Islamic Sindh.

Blank (with traces of lines) / श्री रणिवग्रह “Sri Raṇavigraha” in late Brahmi around a stylized and disjointed recumbent bull facing right. 8 mm, 0.36 grams. Fishman/Todd "The Silver Damma" #Y12. These enigmatic little coins were probably minted somewhere in south-western Punjab, but  a member of the Sindhi royal Chach dynasty, who is tentatively identified as Jayasimha son of Dahir in "The Silver Damma" book based on a variety of evidence. Ranavigraha" is tentatively identified as Jayasimha, the son of Raja Dahir of Chach (the last pre-Islamic King of Sindh). If so, these coins must date to ca.712-715 CE, and these coins were minted in Southern Punjab (north of Multan) during Jayasimha's short exile which followed the Arab conquest of Sindh and sourthern Punjab.