Chapter BARBER’S BRIDGE to BARGANY of B by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

BARGANY, BRAGANY, H. barakani. The name of a small silver coin current in W. India at the time of the Portuguese occupation of Goa, and afterwards valued at 40 reis (then about 5¼d.). The name of the coin was apparently a survival of a very old system of coinage nomenclature. Kãni is an old Indian word, perhaps Dravidian in origin, indicating ¼ of ¼ of ¼, or 1–64th part. It was applied to the jital (see JEETUL) or 64th part of the mediæval Delhi silver tanka—this latter coin being the prototype in weight and position of the Rupee, as the kani therefore was of the modern Anglo-Indian pice (= 1–64th of a Rupee). There were in the currency of Mohammed Tughlak (1324–1351) of Delhi, aliquot parts of the tank a, Doknis, Shash-kanis, Hasht-kanis, Dwaz-da-kanis, and Shanzda-kanis, representing, as the Persian numerals indicate, pieces of 2, 6, 8, 12, and 16 knis or jitals. (See E. Thomas, Pathan Kings of Delhi, pp. 218–219.) Other fractional pieces were added by Firoz Shah, Mohammed’s son and successor (see Id. 276 seqq. and quotation under c 1360, below). Some of these terms long survived, e.g. do-kanit in localities of Western and Southern India, and in Western India in the present case the barakani or 12 kani, a vernacular form of the dwãzda-kãni of Mohammed Tughlak.

1330.—“Thousands of men from various quarters, who possessed thousands of these copper coins…now brought them to the treasury, and received in exchange gold tankas and silver tankas (Tanga), shash- ganis and du-ganis, which they carried to their homes.”—Táríkh-i-Fíroz-Sháhi, in Elliot, iii. 240–241.

c. 1350.—“Sultan Fíroz issued several varieties of coins. There was the gold tanka and the silver tanka. There were also distinct coins of the respective value of 48, 25, 24, 12, 10, 8 and 6, and one jital, known as chihal-o-hasht-gani, bist-o-panjgani, bist-o-chahar-gni, dwazdah-gani, dah-gani, hasht-gni, shash-gani, and yak jital.”—Ibid. 357–358.

1510.—Barganym, in quotation from Correa under Pardao.

1554.—“E as tamgas brancas que se recebem dos foros, são de 4 barganis a tamga, e de 24 leaes o bargany…i.e.. “And the white tangas that are received in payment of land revenues are at the rate of 4 barganis to the tanga, and of 24 leals to the bargany.”—A. Nunez, in Subsidios, p. 31.

“Statement of the Revenues which the King our Lord holds in the Island and City of Guou.

“Item—The Islands of Tiçoary, and Divar, and that of Chorao, and Johao, all of them, pay in land revenue (de foro) according to ancient custom 36,474 white tanguas, 3 barguanis, and 21 leals, at the tale of 3 barguanis to the tangua and 24 leals to the barguanim, the same thing as 24 bazarucos, amounting to 14,006 pardaos, 1 tangua and 47 leals, making 4,201,916 2/5 reis. The Isle of Tiçoary (Salsette) is the largest, and on it stands the city of Guoa; the others are much smaller and are annexed to it, they being all contiguous, only separated by rivers.”—Botelho, Tombo, ibid. pp. 46–7.

1584.—“They vse also in Goa amongst the common sort to bargain for coals, wood, lime and such like, at so many braganines, accounting 24 basaruchies for one braganine, albeit there is no such money stamped.”—Barret, in Hakl. ii. 411; (but it is copied from G. Balbi’s Italian, f. 71v).