Coinage of the Chamba Hill State, India
Chamba Chakli - 9th Century AD to 1948

by Dr. Kewal K. Mahajan

Many princely states in India had their own coinage. However Chamba, the longest lasting Punjab Hill State had a unique copper coin called Chakli. This coin had been in use from ancient times and was discontinued after the state was merged in the Indian Union in 1948. No silver coins were ever struck in the state.
Chakli was a litle cheaper then the paisa used in the British India, since five chaklis made one anna as compared to four paise being equal to one anna. Sixteen annas made one rupee.
The design of this ancient copper coin was changed during the rule of King Sahil Verma (920 AD - 940 AD). He had a pierced ear struck on the coins in honor of his principle counselor and spiritual guru Yogi Charpat Nath. The pierced ear symbol remained a permanent feature until the coins were discontinued in 1948.
The addition of Vishnu Pad, symbolising the feet of Lord Vishnu, to the inscription on these coins happened a few centuries later. The Royal family of Chamba belonged to the Suraj Bansi Rajput Hill Chiefs, who believed their ancestral lineage extended from Lord Rama of Ayodhya. Lord Rama being an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Vishnu was the principal diety of the royal house.
Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Chamba was built by Raja Sahil Verma in the early 10th Century AD and is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Northern India that escaped the wrath of Muslim invaders, looters, and rulers of Medieval India.
These coins also give interesting insights into the colorful intrigues of the rulers of the state.
In 1844, Narain Shah, a timber trader from Basohli usurped undue power in the Chamba State on the basis of his close relationship with the Sikh empire in Lahore. He was kind of their agent in the state and the administration worked on his whims. Because of his trade, he was alone known as Lakar Shah. Raja Sri Singh was a minor (7 yrs old) at that time. Lakar Shah had a new issue of these coins struck to his design and those chaklis are known as Lakar Shahi Chaklis. The queen mother and the wise Wazir Bagha conspired and had this unpopular agent murdered. The Sikh empire was inscensed by the murder of their protege and invaded the state. Wazir Bagha was jailed in Lahore. However assassination of General Hira Singh and Pandit Jalla of the Lahore court saved the day for the Chamba state. The Sikh army was withdrawn, as Hira Singh and Pandit Jalla were the main patrons of Lakar Shah. Without this divine intervention, the Chamba state probably would have been annexed to the Sikh Empire.