Bombay and Mumbai co-existed on old coins

Nergish Sunavala,TNN | Aug 10, 2014, 07.00 AM IST

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In the 1600s, Angelina wasn't actor Brad Pitt's sultry wife but rather a form of silver coinage issued by the Bombay Mint set up by the British East India Company (EIC). The foundation stone for the Mint was laid in 1671. Over the next 100 years, the Mint would issue coins with both Roman and Persian legends (inscriptions). While the English coins (Carolinas, Angelinas, Copperoons and Tinnys) have "Bomb", "Bombay" and "Bombaim" inscribed on them, the later Persian ones used the name popular with local residents - "Mumbai". Most of these coins are today housed at the British Museum.

"This factoid disputes the fact that the two names did not co-exist and were mutually exclusive," says numismatic expert Mahesh Kalra, who just completed his PhD on Mughal coins from Mumbai University. Kalra, who is also the regional secretary of the Oriental Numismatic Society for South Asia, recently completed a research project on the subject for the KR Cama Oriental Institute. It was titled, "Forging Cosmopolitan Cultures: The Story of the 'Old' Bombay Mint c. 1672-1830".

"The term Mumbai comes from Mumbadevi, who was worshipped by the city's original inhabitants, the Kolis," explains city historian Dr MD David. "When the Portuguese arrived in 1526, they began calling the city 'Bombaim', which comes from the Portuguese phrase 'Bom Bahia' or 'good bay'. In the 17th century with the arrival of the British, this was changed to Bombay."

In 1995, the Shiv Sena-BJP combine won the Maharasthra state elections and changed the name of the city to "Mumbai. Since then, it has become a contentious issue with political parties aggressively insisting that shop owners and private institutions stop using the anglicized "Bombay". However, in the 1680s, the British themselves began minting currency with "Mumbai" inscribed on it in Persian. "They switched from English to Persian because few people could read English and so the currency wasn't accepted in the rest of the Western coast," explains Kalra.

"And "Mumbai" was inscribed on the coins simply because it was the name used by local residents," says David.

The advantage of issuing coins with Persian legends; however, was thwarted when Mughal ruler Aurangzeb took exception to the names of British monarchs emblazoned on the currency. To make matter worse, this was around the same time that Aurangzeb's ship was attacked by British pirates. Two EIC representatives had to prostate before the emperor, who demanded the EIC pay him Rs 1, 50,000 as compensation and insisted that the minting of Persian coins in the names of the English rulers be stopped.

For the next 25 years, the Bombay Mint remained largely dormant and the EIC had to pay a "seignoriage" to the Surat mint every time it needed coins minted. Then in 1717, the British approached Mughal ruler Farrukh Siyar, who gave them permission to issue currency in his name as long as he was referred to as the "emperor of ye sea and land" on the coins. These were issued in Persian and had the words "zarb Mumbai" or "struck at Mumbai" inscribed on them. "They were designed in accordance with the Mughal ruler's wishes and so it was his decision to use the name Mumbai," says Pascal Lopes, who has a master's in numismatics from Mumbai University.