The Ahom Kingdom was founded in the 13th century by migrants from northeastern Burma who conquered the old kingdom of Kamarupa. The kingdom was able to withstand invasions from the Bengal sultanate and even the Mughal empire, although the king was forced to pay some tribute and Aurangzeb even briefly issued coins in Assam. Eventually, the kingdom was defeated by invading Burmese armies in 1821-22. At that point, the British stepped in and made Assam a British protectorate in 1825. The earliest coins from the Ahom kingdom date from the 15th century. Originally, the coins were round, but in the 16th century the shape of the coins was made octagonal, supposedly because the Yogini Tantra mentions that Kamarupa is eight-sided. The octagonal shape and the long series makes these coins highly popular with collectors. Rudra Simha (1696-1714) Rudra Simha, Silver rupee, S. 1622 (= 1700 CE) Weight: 11.15 gm. Diameter: 22 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Four-line Assamese legend: sri srimat / swarga deva rudra / simhasya      sa / ke 1622, lion right below / Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri ha / ra gauri pa / dambuja madhu / karasya Reference: MNI 2464 var, KM 40 The Ahom coins were dated in the Saka era. Rudra Simha, Silver rupee, S. 1625 (= 1703 CE) Weight: 11.30 gm. Diameter: 22 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Four-line Assamese legend: sri srimat / swarga deva rudra / simhasya      sa / ke 1625, lion right below / Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri ha / ra gauri pa / dambuja madhu / karasya Reference: MNI 2464 var, KM 40 Siva Simha (1714-1744) Siva Simha with Queen Sarvveshwari, Silver half rupee, year 29 (= 1743 CE) Weight: 5.63 gm. Diameter: 17 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Three-line Assamese legend: sri sri si / va simha na / reswara, lion right below / Four-line Assamese legend: tadvalla / bha sri sarvve / svari devinam / 29 Reference: MNI ---, KM 110 Several Ahom kings issued coins naming their queens. Pramatta Simha (1744-1751) Pramatta Simha, Silver rupee, S. 1672 (= 1750 CE) Weight: 11.26 gm. Diameter: 24 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri swarga / deva pramatta / simha nripasya /       sake 1672, lion left below / Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri hara / gauri charana / kamala madhu / karasya Reference: MNI 2474 var, KM 122 The production of coinage in Assam must have been quite large (speaking to a brisk trade) because there are multiple dies for coins from the same year. This and the next coin were struck in the same year, but the dies are different. Note the full rosette at the top right hand corner of the reverse on this coin; the next coin has only a half rosette. Pramatta Simha, Silver rupee, S. 1672 (= 1750 CE) Weight: 11.23 gm. Diameter: 24 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri swarga / deva pramatta / simha nripasya /       sake 1672, lion left below / Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri hara / gauri charana / kamala madhu / karasya Reference: MNI 2474 var, KM 122 Gaurinatha Simha (1780-1795) Gaurinatha Simha, Silver rupee, S. 1705 (= 1783 CE) Weight: 11.30 gm. Diameter: 24 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri swarga / deva sri gaurina / tha simha nripasya /       sake 1705, lion left below / Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri hara / gauri charana ra / binda makaranda / madhu karasya Reference: MNI 2487, KM 215 Gaurinatha Simha, Silver rupee, S. 1716 (= 1794 CE) Weight: 11.03 gm. Diameter: 23 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri swarga / deva sri gaurina / tha simha nripasya /       sake 1716, lion left below / Four-line Assamese legend: sri sri hara / gauri charana ka / mala makaranda / madhu karasya Reference: MNI 2487, KM 215 This coin, with its slightly cruder style, was probably minted in Guwahati or Jorhat, not in the capital of Rangpur. Gaurinatha Simha was forced to flee the capital in 1787 in the face of rebellion and lost control of the main mint. Note also the slight difference in the reverse legend ... the word kamala has replaced rabinda. Gaurinatha Simha, Silver half rupee, undated Weight: 5.67 gm. Diameter: 17 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock Three-line Assamese legend: sri sri gau / rinatha si / mha nripasya / Three-line Assamese legend: sri sri ha / ra gauri pa / da parasya Reference: MNI 2489, KM 204

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