Rupiyanama: Online Talk by Mohit Kapoor

Legacy in Silver: How Successor States and Princely Kingdoms Carried the Mughal Rupee Forward by Mohit Kapoor

As part of the Rupiyanama Online Talk Series, numismatist Mohit Kapoor will explore how the Mughal rupee lived on through the successor states and princely kingdoms that emerged after the empire’s decline. By adapting its fabric, legends, and motifs, these regional powers used the rupee to assert identity, legitimacy, and independence. The Talk will highlight how the Mughal monetary style remained the subcontinent’s shared language long after imperial rule had ended.

From India to the World, this online talk series expands the experience beyond the gallery. Through conversations with leading scholars and practitioners, we’ll dive deeper into the many worlds the rupee has travelled through - political, cultural, artistic, economic and beyond.

This is a live online talk on Zoom, bringing the history of the Rupee right to your screen. The Zoom link will land in your inbox closer to the date, so keep an eye out - you won’t want to miss this one!

About the Speaker: Mohit Kapoor is a numismatist and Director at Imperial Auctions. He holds a master’s degree in Numismatics and Archaeology and serves as Regional Secretary (South Asia) of Oriental Numismatic Society. Kapoor is co-author (with Dinesh Master) of the book The Nawabs and Kings of Awadh and their Coinage (2018), which provides a comprehensive catalogue and historical account of Awadh’s rulers and their coinage. In numismatics his areas of interest spans Maratha, Princely-state, Colonial and Republic India coinage systems.

This Online Talk is in tandem with our new exhibition Odyssey of the Rupee: From India to the World.

Marking 75 years of the Indian Rupee, Odyssey of the Rupee is Sarmaya’s most ambitious exhibition yet. Curated by Dr Shailendra Bhandare of the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, with Sarmaya Arts Foundation, the showcase spans centuries of currency, from ancient punch-marked coins to the first coin minted in Independent India. The exhibition also explores how the rupee travelled beyond borders, featuring beautiful and rare coins and notes from regions like Mozambique, Java, and Saudi Arabia.