2021-06-21 Mon

Rukn Al-Din Barbak was the ruler of Bengal Sultanate; he was the son of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. During the reign of this father, he was appointed as governor of Satgaon. He sat on the throne of the Bengal Sultanate after the death of his father in the year 1459 CE. He ruled the Bengal Sultanate from 1459 CE and ruled it until 1474 CE.

Rukh Al-Din Barbak shah faces many conflicts from the Gajapati Kingdom of Kalinga during his reign. When the fort of Mandaran, was captured by the Gajapati Kingdom of Kalinga, he sent his general; Shah Ismail Ghazi against the Gajapati Kingdom defeated them and recaptured the fort of Mardaran.

This silver tanka that weighs around 10.72g was issued by Rukn Al-Din Barbak during his rule. The obverse of this coin is inscribed as ‘Rukn al-dunya wa al-Din Abu al-Muzaffar Barbakshah al-Sultan bin Mahmud Shah al-Sultan partly visible’. The reverse of this coin is inscribed as ‘Arabic legend al-Muwayyad bi-Tayid al-Rahman Khalifath Allah b'il-Hujjat wa al-Burhan.

Image Courtesy: Classical Numismatic Gallery