Udaipur or Mewar, is best known for Rana Pratap’s resistance against Mughal emperor
Akbar. The rulers of Udaipur were called Maharanas – the only ones in Rajputana
to be honored with this title. The capital – Udaipur, was established by Udai
Singh after the sack of Chittorgarh by Akbar. It was his son Pratap Singh who
is now better known as Maharana Pratap.
Udaipur
was one of the larger princely states in the British era, and the ruler was
entitled to a 19-gun salute. Post independence, Udaipur was one of the first
states to sign the instrument of accession to the Indian Union and its ruler
was appointed the Rajpramukh (Governor) of the newly formed state of Rajasthan.
The accession of Udaipur to India was also critical in scuttling the Bhopal
Plan, a scheme by some Indian rulers, with the encouragement of Muhammad Ali
Jinnah, wanted to either join Pakistan or stay independent.
The
region is known today for its spectacular forts of Chittorgarh and Kumbalgarh,
and its many lakes and tanks – built by various rulers. Silver coins of Udaipur
are rarer compared to British Indian coins, but are still affordable to collectors.
The denomination of the silver coins were 1 anna, 2 anna, 4 anna, 8 anna and 16
anna (1 Rupee). The 1 anna coin of Udaipur is just 12-mm across and weighs 0.95
grams – among the smallest milled coins in the world.
These
coins were minted during the reign of Fatteh Singh (1884-1930) in Vikram Samvat
1985 (1928 AD). The obverse of the coin carries a depiction of the ramparts of
the Chittorgarh Fort.