ABSTRACT
Regional identity of medieval Bengal, both socio-economic and political, may well be assessed from the very beginning of thirteenth century with the advent of Turkish soldiers. As per Perso-Islamic concept of political authority, coins, both silver and gold (occasional issue), were struck from Bengal, though they were not very regular and prolific in number during the thirteenth century. From fourteenth century onwards, an upsurge in metallic currency flow could easily be detected. This proliferation of metallic currency eventually reached its zenith in late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries along with the development of urban centres, which were not only developed in the core region of Varendra (with the capital cities of Gaur and Pandua) but also expanded to the other parts of the province with the shift in administrative and political centres. Since the essence of the Islamic culture was the growth of urban space, Sultanate Bengal was no exception. An independent economic and sociopolitical identity was created based on the money economy and regular trade. Starting from a single mint in operation in thirteenth century producing limited number of coins, the number of mints raised up to twenty in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
