The Madras Presidency, taking up eastern and southern India, issued its first coins around 1660. These copper coins, in units called cash and dudu, were in the style of the Vijayanagar Empire — Hindu, rather than Islamic. Silver coins called fanam were also produced, as were gold pieces called pagoda. Eventually, silver rupees were used, based on coins of the mighty Mughal Empire.
As the prominence of the Madras Presidency rose, it became a major part of British India, along with the Bombay and Bengal Presidencies. Its name comes from the fact that it was based in the city of Madras; the official name of the Madras Presidency was The Presidency of Fort St. George.
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The system of cash, dudu, fanam, rupees, and pagodas continued through the eighteenth century. In the early 1800s, Britain began minting coins for the Madras Presidency following the general style of British coins (at first, adding English to the Persian script, for example, or the British coat of arms). Around this time, a new unit called dub was introduced, and later the pie and anna. Gold mohur coins were made in the latter part of the presidency’s coin history.
The Madras Presidency stopped issuing its own coins in 1869, around the time that the various territories of India came under the direct control of Britain. The legacy for modern Indian coin collectors is a diverse array of styles, metals, designs, and inscriptions to choose from. Whether you like gold, silver, or copper coins; Indian, British, or general colonial coins — buying coins of the Madras Presidency can be a very rewarding and diverting focus for your hobby.
