AWADH STATE

Awadh consisted of much of the modern state of Uttar Pradesh. Soon after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal empire began to fragment as there was a continual struggle for power at the center. Sadat Khan had been appointed the Mughal governor of the province in 1720 and was the first to start behaving somewhat independently, taking advantage of the lack of central control. His capital was Faizabad. In 1737, he opened a mint in Banaras, calling it Muhammadabad Banaras, and started to issue coins there in the name of the Mughal emperor.

In 1763, the Nawab of Bengal, Mir Kasim, attempted to confront his erstwhile masters, the British, and was routed. He sought refuge in Awadh and in 1764, the combined forces of Mir Kasim, Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II marched east in an attempt to recover Bengal. The British, despite being heavily outnumbered, defeated the Muslim armies at the Battle of Buxar. In the aftermath, Awadh lost the eastern half of its territory, including Banaras, and was compelled to pay a large annual tribute to the British. The mint was moved to Lucknow. From there, coins in the name of the Mughal emperor continued to be struck, and they continued to name Muhammadabad Banaras as the mint. It was only in 1819 that Nawab Ghaziuddin Haidar finally started to strike coins in his own name. Soon thereafter, Awadhi coins started to feature the kingdom’s European style coat of arms.

Awadh was at the center of events surrounding the war of independence (“the mutiny”) in 1857. Ever since the Battle of Buxar, the British had essential control over “Oudh,” and the degree to which they exercised this control had steadily increased over the years. Finally, in 1856, citing the corruption and lack of proper administration in the country, they annexed Oudh to direct British control and pensioned off the Nawab, Wajid Ali Khan. During the revolt, Wajid Ali’s son, Birjis Qadr, was proclaimed Nawab and a few coins were struck in the name of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. Once the British reacquired control, the kingdom of Awadh disappeared forever.