2017-01-20 Fri

Ala Al-Din Muhammad Khalji (AH 965-715; AD 1296-1316) was the second ruler of the Khalji dynasty. He is considered to be one of the most powerful rulers in Indian history. He was very ambitious and liked to call himself as ‘The Second Alexandar’ Therefore he also issued the title ’Sikandar-Al-Thani’ on his coins.

Khalji was a Muslim dynasty which was founded by Jalal Ud din Firuz Khalji. They were Turkish, who settled in the region of Afghanistan and adopted Afgan way of life. The Ghaznavid and Ghurid and Mongol pressure from central Asia brought them to India. They ruled a large part of South Asia between 1290 CE-1320 CE. The Khalji’s were the second dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

Muhammad Khalji’s campaigns towards the Deccan brought back a vast quantity of booty with him. He issued coins in gold, silver, copper and billon. Gold and silver tankas issued by him were struck in Delhi, Dar-al-Islam, and Deogir; some of the square tankas which he issued in gold and silver don’t have a mint name on it.

One of his gold tanka of ‘Sikandar Al-thani’; type minted at Hadrat Delhi, which weighs around 10.7g, was sold for INR 38,000 at Todywalla Auction held in Mumbai on 23rd September 2016. The obverse of the coin reads as ‘Al-Sultan Al-Azam Ala Al-Dunya Wa Al-Din Abul Muzaffar Muhammad Shah Al-Sultan’ and ‘Sikandar Al-thani Yamin Al-Khilafa Nasir Al-Mu’minin’ within a circle, mint name, and date written in the margin on the reverse.

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