500 Rupees 500th Birth Anniversary of Rani Durgavati

Reverse

This face of coin shall bear portrait of Rani Durgvati in the centre. The inscription “रानी दुर्गावती की 500 वीं जयंती” shall be written in Devanagari script on the upper periphery of the coin and the inscription “500TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF RANI DURGAVATI” in English is depicted on the lower periphery of the coin. The year “2023” in international numeral shall be written below the portrait of Rani Durgavati.

Scripts: Devanagari, Latin

Lettering:
रानी दुर्गावती की 500 वीं जयंती
500TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF RANI DURGAVATI
2023

Translation:
500TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF RANI DURGAVATI
2023

Edge

Reeded (200 Serrations)

Comment

Rani Durgavati, the descendant of the famous Chandela dynasty of Mahoba and the queen of the Gond Kingdom of Garha-Katanga took on the might of the Mughal Empire with great courage and leadership. Durgavati was born on 5 October 1524 in Kalinjar, one of the most important forts of medieval India, which lies in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh. At the age of 18, she was married to Dalpat Shah the son of the Gond King Sangram Shah of Garh-Katanga, strengthening an alliance between the two royal families.

Rani Durgavati administered the Kingdom and took it to such high levels of prosperity that people paid taxes on gold coins and elephants. She constructed reservoirs such as the Ranital, Cherital and Adhartal, for the benefit of her people.

According to a contemporary Persian source, the Tarikh-i-Firishta, Durgavati repulsed Baz Bahadur, the ruler of Malwa, who had attacked her kingdom between 1555 and 1560. Asaf Khan, the Mughal Governor of Kara-Manikur, launched a completely unprovoked attack on Rani’s kingdom in 1564. Durgavati with her small force was able to defeat the Mughals and push back them at least three times. However, the Mughals regrouped with a strong contingent comprising 10,000 cavalry, infantry and artillery and overwhelmed her forces.

Abul Fazl wrote of Durgavati that she was a combination of beauty, grace and manlike courage and bravery. In 1983 the name of Jabalpur University was changed to Rani Durgavati University and a museum has been named after her. In 1988 a postage stamp was issued in her honour. In 2018, the Indian Coast Guard commissioned the 3^rd Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) called ‘ICGS Rani Durgavati’ at its district headquarters in Visakhapatnam. However, the most enduring memorial of Rani is the collective memory of the people, where she has found a place of great regard. Her story has become a legend which forms the theme of songs and tales, through which she stays alive in the people's hearts every day.

Interesting fact

Price

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