Tonk was a Princely State of India at the time of the British Raj. The town of Tonk, was the capital of the state, and was surrounded by a wall and boasted a mud fort. Originally established under the suzerainty of the Maratha Confederacy in 1806, it was the only princely state of Rajasthan with a Muslim ruling dynasty. By treaty Tonk became a British protectorate in 1817. Following the Independence of India, Tonk acceded to the newly independent Indian Union on 7 April 1949.
The state was formed of several enclaves located in an area covered by the alluvium of the Bands, and from this a few rocky hills composed of schists of the Aravalli Range protrude, together with scattered outliers of the Alwar quartzites. It was located in the region bordering present-day Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states.
The founder of the state was Nawab Muhammad Amir Khan (1769-1834), an adventurer and military leader of Pashtun descent from Afghanistan. Amir Khan rose to be a military commander in the service of Yashwantrao Holkar of the Maratha Empire in 1798. In 1806, Khan received the state of Tonk from Yashwantrao Holkar. In 1817, after the Third Anglo-Maratha War, Amir Khan submitted to the British British East India Company, he kept his territory of Tonk and received the title of Nawab. While retaining internal autonomy and remaining outside British India, the state came under the supervision of the Rajputana Agency.
The rulers of the state, the Salarzai Nawabs of Tonk belonged to a Pashtun Tarkani tribe. They were entitled to a 17-gun salute by the British authorities
| Ruler (title Nawab) | Reign | |
| Muhammad Amir Khan | 1806 – 1834 | |
| Muhammad Wazir Khan | 1834 - 1864 | |
| Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan | 1864 – 1867 | |
| Nawab Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Khan | 1867 – 1930 | |
| Nawab Muhammad Sa'adat Ali Khan | 1930 – 1947 | |
| Nawab Muhammad Faruq Ali Khan | 1947 – 1948 |
1 Rupee - Muhammad Wazir Khan in the name of Muhammad Akbar II, KM#C60
Rev : Mint name Sironj. Regnal year out of flan
Details :
Plain edge
KM#C60
1 Rupee - Muhammad Ali Khan in the name of Queen Victoria, KM#Y7
Rev : Queen Victoria
Details :
Plain edge
KM#Y7
Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Khan struck this Rupee during the Regency(AD1868-AD1872 i.e. AH1284-AH1289), still in the name of his father Muhammad Ali Khan(AD1864-AD1867, deposed AD1867 i.e. AH1284).
1 Rupee - Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Khan in the name of Queen Victoria, KM#Y10
Legend in Persian: Sikka mubarak zad az fazl yazdan rais Tonk Ibrahim Alikhan
Translation: Auspicious coin struck by the grace of God, Chief of Tonk, Ibrahim Alikhan
Rev : Queen Victoria. AD18xx
Legend in Persian: Ahdi malikah muazzam sultanat inglistan wa qaiser hindustan dar al-zarb Tonk
Translation: In the time of the Honoured ruler of the realm England and Empress of India, Seat of the mint Tonk.
Details :
Plain edge
KM#Y10
1 Rupee - Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Khan in the name of Empress Victoria, KM#Y20
Rev : Empress Victoria. AD189x
Details :
Plain edge
KM#Y20
1 Pice - Muhammad Sa'adat Ali Khan in the name of George V, KM#29a
Legend within circle - "Sanah hijri 1350"
Legend outside circle - "hiz hainess nawab muhammad sa'adat ali khan sahib bahadur, wali riasat tonk"
هز هاينس نواب محمد سعادتعليخان صاحب بهادر
والي رياست تونك
۱۳۵۰
سنة هجري
Translation: (Within circle) The year 1350 Hejira
(Outside circle) His Highness Nawab Muhammad Sa'adat Ali Khan Sahib Bahadur, Sovereign of the State, Tonk
Rev : Leaf mark, date below
Legend within circle - (above leaf mark)"ek paisa", (below leaf mark) "sanah iswy 1932"
Legend outside circle - "Bi'ahdi malikah muazam qaiser-i-hind - George pancham"
بعهد ملک معظم قيصر هند جارج پنجم
یک پي
۱۹۳۲
? سنة
Translation: (Within circle) One paisa (above leaf mark), (below leaf mark) In the Chrstian year 1932
(Outside circle) In the time of the Honoured ruler Emperor of India - George V
Details :
KM#29a
References :
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonk_State
- South Asian Coins & Paper Money (INDIAN EDITION) - Krause Publication
- https://www.zeno.ru/showgallery.php?cat=2910
