Tanka and jital
Also called: Silver tanka, Copper jital, Tanka, Tankah · Topic: Turkic Invasions and the Delhi Sultanate · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Through the Eyes of Travellers"
Meaning
The tanka and the jital were the standard coins of the Delhi Sultanate. Sultan Iltutmish of the Mamluk dynasty introduced them in the early 13th century. The tanka was a silver coin weighing about 175 grains. The jital was a small copper coin for everyday buying and selling. Together they gave north India one money system for trade and for paying taxes.
Example
In the 14th century, travellers reported prices and wages in tankas and jitals. Ibn Battuta, for example, did so at the court of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Much later, Sher Shah Suri's silver rupiya followed the same tradition of a standard silver coin.
Don't confuse with
- Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency: cheap copper coins that were declared equal in value to silver or gold coins. People forged them in huge numbers and the scheme failed. The jital was simply a low-value copper coin and was never claimed to be worth silver.