Siddharth's Echelon

What connects Sicily, Tunisia, Sher Shah Suri, East India Company, and Reserve Bank of India?

A short 🧵 on fascinating journey of a design and how it travels the world in 2500 years of history. Still in use!

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East India Company in 1835 launched a gold coin and called it Mohur. It had a picture of their king on one side and had a picture of Lion under a palm tree on the other.

They called it Mohur as it was the highest coin of Sher Shah Suri in 16th century when he launched Rupee coin

EIC also made Double Mohur. Mohur was equivalent to 15 silver rupees and double mohur was worth 30 silver rupees.

The lion under palm tree had a meaning connected to Sher Shah as Lion is called Sher in India. British emblem had lions too. So, this picture was two birds in same

The designer of this symbol was famous sculptor John Flaxman and this symbol was found in his notes. It is unclear why he made this design and who was going to use it.

John Flaxman died about a decade ago before these gold mohurs were made by East India Company.

So, what was

Inspiration came from ancient Carthaginian empire and their coinage. They evolved out of a small settlement in Tunisia and made a huge empire around the Mediterranean sea.

The presence of Palm Tree in that region made it an obvious symbol of Carthaginian (also called Punic)

Then they have Lion with Palm Tree coins and it leaves no doubt how Flaxman got the idea of Mohur design.

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In 1935, Sir James Taylor wanted to make a logo or seal of Reserve Bank of India. So, he looked at the emblem on Double Mohur and used it. Instead of Lion, they used a tiger.

Tiger was found in whole subcontinent and was more logical animal to represent India.

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The design of Tiger was taken from a picture which was present in Belvedere House in Calcutta where Governor General of EIC used to live.

That’s how, an emblem on coins used in Sicily and Tunisia almost 2500 years ago became the logo of Reserve Bank of India.

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This Belvedere House is right now National Library of India.

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