Grams And Tola: Understanding Bahrain's Weight System

The tola is a traditional unit of weight that was standardised in British India in 1833. It is still used in several South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, and Nepal, as well as in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. In the metric system, one tola is equal to 11.6638038 grams or 11.7 grams. In Bahrain, the tola is used as a unit for weighing gold, and one tola of gold is worth 334.18 Bahraini Dinar.

The tola is an ancient unit of weight, standardised as 180 grains (11.66 grams)

Before the metric system was established, weight measurements around the world were based on natural units like grain or seed. In India, one tola was standardised to weigh 100 ratti, which was based on the weight of a Gunja seed. This relatively uniform method of measurement allowed for fair trade practices, ensuring that buyers received consistent quantities of goods.

The British East India Company played a significant role in standardising the tola. They issued a silver rupee coin weighing 180 troy grains, which became the practical standard mass for the tola. This standardisation occurred in the context of varying weight measurements across different cultures and regions. For example, in England during the Middle Ages, bronze weights were used to regulate weighing discrepancies, but there was little worldwide agreement.

The metric system, adopted in the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe, England, and India, brought further standardisation to weight measurements. Today, the tola is recognised as equivalent to approximately 11.7 grams in the metric system, although some Indian jewellers round it down to 10 grams for simplicity in calculations.

The tola continues to be used in several South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, and Nepal, particularly in the trade of gold and precious metals. It serves as a bridge between different measurement systems, roughly equalling 11.7 grams or 180 grains. This dual correspondence facilitates communication and trade among diverse cultures and measurement practices.

Tola is a unit for weighing gold in Bahrain

Tola is a unit of weight or mass used to measure gold in Bahrain. It is an ancient unit of measurement that was introduced in India and South Asia around 1833 to facilitate the fair trade of grain and precious metals. The word "tola" comes from the Sanskrit word "tol," meaning "weight."

In today's metric system, one tola is equal to approximately 11.7 grams. This conversion factor is widely accepted and used in several South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, and Nepal, for trading gold and other precious metals. However, it's worth noting that some Indian jewellers round down the weight to 10 grams for easier calculations.

In Bahrain, the tola is specifically used as a unit for weighing gold in jewellery. The dynamic nature of the gold market in Bahrain is evident, with frequent updates to gold prices per tola. The gold price is quoted in Bahraini Dinar (BHD) and is influenced by various factors, including the live spot gold price and exchange rates.

The tola plays a crucial role in standardising gold measurements and facilitating trade. Its historical origins and regional significance make it a familiar and trusted unit of measurement in Bahrain and other parts of the world.

The British tola of 180 grains was standardised in 1833

The tola is a traditional Ancient Indian and South Asian unit of mass. It was standardised as 180 grains (11.6638038 grams) or 3/8 of a troy ounce in 1833, when it became the base unit of mass in the British Indian system of weights and measures. However, the tola had been in use for much longer.

The tola is a Vedic measure, with its name derived from the Sanskrit word tol, meaning "weight". One tola was traditionally the weight of 100 Ratti (ruttee) seeds, though its exact weight varied according to locality. It was also a convenient mass for a coin. Several pre-colonial coins, including the currency of Akbar the Great (1556-1605), had a mass of "one tola" with slight variation.

The British East India Company issued a silver rupee coin of 180 troy grains, and this became the standard mass for the tola well into the 20th century. The British tola of 180 grains (from 1833) was more of a standardisation than a redefinition. The previous standard in the Bengal Presidency, the system of "sicca weights", was the mass of one Murshidabad rupee, 179.666 troy grains. For larger weights used in commerce, the variation in the pre-1833 standards was found to be greater than the adjustment.

The tola formed the base for units of mass under the British Indian system and was the standard measure of gold and silver bullion. Although the tola has been officially replaced by metric units since 1956, it is still in current use, particularly for gold bullion bars in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Singapore. In Nepal, minting of tola-size gold coins continues to the present, even though the currency is called the rupee and has no official connection to the tola. The tola is also used in most gold markets in the United Arab Emirates and in all the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) countries.

The tola is a Vedic measure, with the name derived from the Sanskrit word for weight

The tola is an Ancient Indian and South Asian unit of mass, standardised as 180 grains (11.6638038 grams) or exactly 3⁄8 troy ounce. It was the base unit of mass in the British Indian system of weights and measures introduced in 1833, but it had been in use for much longer. The tola is a Vedic measure, with its name derived from the Sanskrit word tol (तोलः root तुल्) meaning "weight" or "weighing".

The tola is thought to have originated during the Vedic period (the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age) in India. The unit of measurement was likely conceived as a fair way of trading grain and precious metals. One tola was traditionally the weight of 100 Ratti (ruttee) seeds, and its exact weight varied according to locality.

The tola formed the base for units of mass under the British Indian system and was the standard measure of gold and silver bullion. Although it has been officially replaced by metric units since 1956, it is still in current use, especially in gold markets in the United Arab Emirates and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) countries.

In Bahrain, the tola is used as a unit for weighing gold in jewellery. While the metric system defines one tola as 11.7 grams, Indian jewellers often round this down to 10 grams for simplicity.

The tola formed the base for units of mass under the British Indian system

The tola is a traditional Ancient Indian and South Asian unit of mass. It was standardised as 180 grains (11.6638038 grams) or exactly 3/8 troy ounce in 1833 under the British Indian system of weights and measures. However, the tola had been in use for much longer, with its name and unit of measurement derived from the Sanskrit word "tol" or "tolaḥ", meaning "weight".

The tola formed the base unit of mass under the British Indian system, as well as the standard measure of gold and silver bullion. This system was introduced in 1833, but the tola had already been used as a standard measure for the first rupee (Indian currency) minted in the 16th century. The British East India Company later issued a silver rupee coin weighing 180 troy grains, which became the standard measure for the tola.

The British tola of 180 grains can be seen as a standardisation of previous weight measurements used in India, such as the "sicca weights" in the Bengal Presidency. The tola was also used in Aden and Zanzibar, although its weight varied according to locality.

Although the tola has been officially replaced by metric units since 1956, it is still used today, especially in the gold bullion bar market in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Singapore. Tola-sized gold coins continue to be minted in Nepal, despite the currency being called the rupee. The tola is also used in most gold markets in the United Arab Emirates and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) countries.

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