Administrative System of the Marathas c13.5

c13.5

Hon, Varaha and Pagoda are synonymous terms. The word Hon may be a corruption of Sanskrit Suvarna; Gerson da Cunha says that the original meaning of hun in Kanarese is gold (*Contribution to the Numismatics*, p. 10). Shivarai, Achyutrai, Devarai and Ramchandrarai Hons were Vijayanagar coins named after different kings who issued them, according to a custom prevalent in the country. The Portuguese chronicler Fernão Nuniz refers to this custom in the following words :—" On the death of that king Bucarao there came to the throne his son called Pureoyre Deorao, which in Canara means "powerful lord" and he coined a money of pardaos which even now they call "puroure deorao"; and from that time forward it has become a custom to call coins by the names of the kings that made them; and it is because of this that there are so many names of pardaos in the kingdom of Bisnaga." Sewel, *A Forgotten Empire*, pp. 300-301. Kaveripak, Sangari, Guti, Dharwari, Advani, Chandavari (Tanjore), Veluri and Ramnathpuri Hons, I suppose, derive their names from mint towns. Ibhrami was current in coast towns of Persia and Western India. It has been mentioned by Fryer as Embraims and Dr. Crooke explains in a foot-note—"probably Ibrahimi of Abraham. See John Fryer's *East India and Persia*, Vol. II (Hakluyt Society's edition), p. 137 and also Bird's *History of Gujrat*, p. 109. Katerai Hon was the Mysore Pagoda. For its weight and intrinsic value see Prinsep—*Useful Tables*. Forrest says "Six Canterai pagodas are nearly equal to five star pagodas"—*Selection, Maratha Series*, p. 717. Ananda Ranga Pillai mentions Saiyid Muhammad, Amaldar of Tadpatri (see *The Private Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai*, Vol. VIII, p. 31 and p. 51) and we also read in his pages of Tadpatri *dupattis* (p. 208). Tadpatri Hon probably was a coin current in the district of that name.