Zamindar family to display rare coins in Kolkata

On the occasion of World Museum Day on February 8, the Sabarna Roy Choudhurys of Barisha — ostensibly Kolkata’s earliest zamindars...

On the occasion of World Museum Day on February 8, the Sabarna Roy Choudhurys of Barisha — ostensibly Kolkata’s earliest zamindars — are putting together a collection of rare coins which will be on display at their family museum — the Sabarna Sangraha Shala.

The collection will comprise at least 50 rare coins, collected by Sanjoy Roy Chowdhury, a member of the 35th generation of the Sabarna Roy Choudhurys, from various sites of India including Hardwar.

‘‘One of the rarest coins, which goes back to 2nd century AD, is a square coin, the size of a 25 paise coin, with the face of a king inscribed on it. It is from the Western satraps. There are some coins which were in circulation during Mughal emperor Akbar’s era and a 1958 East India company coin which shows a coat of arms,’’ said Sanjoy Roy Choudhury.

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Some of the coins in the collection are from Hyderabad and Udaipur, with links with the royal families there. These will also be part of the display.

The Sabarna Museum at Barisha, inaugurated in June 2004, often gets researchers from foreign countries who want to study Kolkata’s history and culture.

‘‘We are also tying up with certain educational institutions so that students interested in ancient and medieval history can come and see the coins,’’ said Debarshi Roy Choudhury, curator of the Sabarna Sangraha Shala and joint secretary of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad.

The collection will be on display till February 12.

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