Sikh Coins of Punjab: March 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

MODERN SIKH TEMPLE TOKENS AND COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS

MODERN SIKH TEMPLE TOKENS AND COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS

Copywrite by Saran Singh

A.) MODERN SIKH TEMPLE TOKENS

Early Temple tokens were used as offerings in the Gurdwara's in place of money.

However, the Temple Tokens issued in the last 50 years were made to serve as commemorative items for collectors.

Guru Nanak / Mool Mantar

Silver Diameter: 31mm

Weight: 10.10g.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji

preparing the Amrit

300^th birth anniversary of the

Khalsa 1699 – 1999

Silver. Diameter: 31mm.

Weight: 9.50g. Bombay

Guru Gobind Singh Ji riding a

horse with his falcon in hand

Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)

Silver. Diameter: 31mm.

Weight: 9.80g., Bombay

B.) COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS

Commemorative medals are usually a piece of metal, marked with design and/or inscriptions , made to honour a person, place or event, and not intended to pass as money.

Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)

Amritsar War Effort Mela 1945

Silver. Diameter: 32mm

Weight: 24.00g.

Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Ji

1469 - 1539

500^th birth anniversary.

Gold plated copper, Silver plated copper, Copper

D: 38mm, W: 23.04g.

Issued in 1969, Set of three pieces

Sri Gobind Singh Ji 1666 – 1966

300^th birth anniversary.

International Sikh Brotherhood

Gold plated nickel. Diameter: 46mm, Weight: 12.00 grammes

Saint Soldier Bhai Maharaj Singh Ji (1731-1856)

150^th Anniversary 2006

Set of three commemorative medallions

Proof like silver .999 , Weight: 20 grammes , Diameter: 38.70 mm

Gold plated Silver, Weight: ? , Diameter: 38.70 mm

Proof like Gold (50 pieces) 999.9 fine, Weight: 10 grammes, Diameter: 21.96 mm

Struck at the Singapore Mint. Issued by Gurdwara Sahib Silat Road, Singapore.

Saint Soldier Bhai Maharaja Singh was a patriot who fought against the British after the fall of the

Sikh Empire of Punjab. He was captured, treated as a political prisoner, and brought to Singapore in July 1850, where he passed away in 1856

Tercentenary – 300th Birth Anniversary of Khalsa 1699 – 1999

Silver 999.0 fine Medallion. Diameter: 47 mm, Weight: 50 grammes

Gold 999.0 fine Medallion. Diameter: 25 mm, Weight: 10 grammes

Set of two pieces. Made by MMTC Limited, New Delhi, India Lssued by Punjab Small Industries & Export Corpn. Ltd, Chandigarh

300^th birth anniversary of the Khalsa 1699 – 1999

Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Sri Anandpur Sahib

Tin (Pewter). Diameter: 51mm, Weight: 40.40 grammes

(Issued by Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia)

The first handwritten copy of the Sikh Holy Scripture known as the Pothi Sahib Ji (later known as the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji), was compiled and installed in the Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in 1604. To commemorate the 400^th anniversary of this important event, the following medal was issued in Malaysia in 2004.

400^th anniversary of the first Parkash Dihara (Installation)

of the Sikh Holy Scripture, Pothi Sahib Ji 1604 – 2004

at the Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Sri Amritsar, Punjab.

Mintage: 500 pieces in teak box.

Pewter Medallion. Diameter: 51 mm, Weight: 40 grammes

Guru Gobind Singh Ji conferred the Guruship on the Sikh Holy Scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, as the last and only eternal living Guru of the Sikhs at Nanded, India in 1708. The 300^th anniversary of this oocassion which fell in 2008, was celebrated on a very large scale. To commemorate this occasion, the following medal was issued in Malaysia in 2008

300^th Gurta Gaddi Divas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji 1708-2008

(300^th anniversary of the conferment of Guruship of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib Ji Abchalnagar, Nanded, India.

Gold plated Brass (Mintage 150 pieces in teak box) and

Silver plated Brass (Mintage 150 pieces in teak box)

Diameter: 51mm, Weight : 38 grammes

500th Avtar Dihara (Birth Anniversary) of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji 1469 - 1969

Guru Nanak, the first Guru, was the founder of Sikhism

Tin (Pewter), Diameter: 51 mm, Weight: ? grammes

Mintage: 500 pieces in teak box. Issued in Malaysia in 2004.

500^th Avtar Dihara (Birth Anniversary) of Sri Guru Angad Dev Ji 1504 - 2004

Guru Angad, the second Guru of the Sikhs, continued the teachings of Guru Nanak,

and also introduced the Gurmukhi script in its’ present form.

Tin (Pewter), Diameter: 51 mm, Weight: ? grammes

Mintage: 500 pieces in teak box. Issued in Malaysia in 2004.

500th Avtar Dihara (Birth Anniversary) of Sri Guru Amar Das Ji 1479 - 1979

Guru Amar Das was the third Guru of the Sikhs. He brought reforms to the Sikh

faith, propagated the emancipation of women and introduced the concept of the

Community kitchen (Guru ka Langgar) .

Tin (Pewter), Diameter: 51 mm, Weight: ? grammes

Mintage; 500 pieces in teak box. Issued in Malaysia in 2004.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A special word of thanks goes to the following researches of Sikh coinage of Punjab who very kindly checked and updated some of the information in this manuscript “The Coins of the Sikhs – Punjab” .

Dalwinder Singh, California, USA

Coin Photo’s

All the Sikh coins photographs (unless otherwise acknowledged) are from the authors collection.

THE TEMPLE TOKENS OF THE SIKHS - PUNJAB

THE TEMPLE TOKENS OF THE SIKHS - PUNJAB

Copywrite by Saran Singh

SIKH TEMPLE TOKENS

In the 18^th and 19^th Century, Sikh temple tokens depicting religious motives and designs were widely issued in Punjab. These temple tokens were the creation of private silversmiths and goldsmiths, who struck them in various Sikh religious centers and towns, in India. Some of them include :

Akal Takht-Golden Temple Complex , Amritsar,
Takht Keshgarh Sahib , Anandpur,
Takht Hazur Sahib , Nanded, Maharashtra
Takht Patna Sahib , Bihar
Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda

(known as Guru Ki Kashi – Guru’s center of learning)

It had existed during the time of Guru Gobind Singh. It was officially

recognized as a Takht (highest seat of religious authority) in November 1966 by

SGPC in Amritsar.

Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Sheikhupura (now in Pakistan)
Panja Sahib Gurdwara at Hassan Abdal in Attock (now in Pakistan)

These Sikh temple tokens were sold to pilgrims by the silversmiths at the various Sikh Gurdwara Sahibs, to be used as offerings. The Gurdwara authorities would then collect these Sikh tokens and return them to the silver merchants in exchange for cash for the Gurdwara fund. These merchants made a small profit from these transactions. Some of these Sikh pilgrims used to take these tokens home to keep as souvenirs due to the religious depictions in their designs.

The early issues of these Sikh temple tokens are dated Vikram Samvat 1804 (1747). They were issued to commemorate the birth of the Dal Khalsa, the highest religious body of the Sikhs at the Akal Takht in Amritsar. Tokens bearing this fixed date VS 1804, were issued up to the beginning of the 20^th Century with numerous variations and die varieties.

Some of the Sikh temple tokens have only the numeral ‘400’ in place of the date. Perhaps the figure ‘400’ could refer to the 400^th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, which corresponds to the year 1869. However, this is a pure conjecture and not a fact. There are also many Sikh temple tokens that do not have a date on them.

An interesting variety of Sikh temple tokens were struck in Vikram Samvat 1955 (1898), at the Heaton Mint, Birmingham, England. The obverse depicts Guru Nanak with his two disciples, Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana, seated on a mat under a tree. The reverse has the inscription in Gurmukhi of the ‘Mool Mantar’, which is the first verse in the Sikh Holy scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. These tokens are struck in silver with a diameter of 31.2 m.m. and weigh 12.40 grammes.

A majority of these Sikh temple tokens depict Guru Nanak seated under a tree with his disciples, Bhai Mardana playing the rebab and Bhai Bala waving a chaur (fly-whisk), on the obverse. The reverse usually has an artistic portrait of Guru Gobind Singh Ji seated on the floor with either a falcon or a hawk perched on a wand. The inscription above his head in Nagari script reads “Sat Kartar” (The True Creater),

On some temple tokens, instead of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, there is a combination of various yantra numbers within a square design that in some cases, comes to a total of 15 or 21. It is believed that these yantra numeral totals have the power to protect oneself from evil.

Most of these Sikh temple tokens were struck in base silver, billion, brass, silver and even in gold. A majority of these tokens have a diameter of between 28 m.m. to 30 m.m.

These Sikh temple tokens were struck in large quantities over a very long period. Most of these Sikh tokens were melted down over the years. However, it is still possible to obtain these Sikh tokens from the silversmiths and merchants in the bazaars in northern India.

VS 1804 (1747)

Base Silver

D: 28mm W:10.30g

Obverse: Guru Nanak Sahib Ji seated under a tree with his two disciples, Bhai Mardana

playing the rebab and Bhai Bala waving a chaur (fly-whisk) as a mark of respect.

Reverse: Guru Gobind Singh Ji holding a falcon (or on some pieces, a hawk). The inscription above in Nagari script is “Sat Kartar” (The True Creator). The year date below is Vikram Samvat 1804 = 1747 A.D.)

VS 1955 (1898)

Silver

D: 31mm W: 11.25g

Obverse: Guru Nanak Sahib Ji seated under a tree with his two disciples, Bhai Mardana playing the rebab and Bhai Bala waving a chaur (fly-whisk) as a mark of respect.

Reverse: The First verse in Gurmukhi script from the Gurbani in the Sikh Holy Book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, “Ik O’nkar, Sat-naam, Karta-purkh, Nir-bhau, Nir-vair, Akaal-moorat, Ajooni Sai-bhang, Gur-parsaad, Jap, Aaad sach, Jugaad sach, Hai-bhi sach, Nanak hosi bhi sach. 1.” (There is but One God. Truth is his Name. He is the all pervading Creator. He is without fear. He is without any enmity. He is eternal, timeless. God is unborn, beyond incarnation. The self-existant God is by Himself from Himself. He is attained by the Guru’s grace. Recite. True in the beginning, True before ages began, True at present, Nanak True He shall ever be. 1.) The year date below is Vikram Samvat 1955 (= 1898).

SIKH TEMPLE TOKENS