2017-02-15 Wed

Ghiyath Al Din Mahmud (AH 939-945; AD 1532-1538) was the sultan of Bengal. He was the younger brother of Nusrat Shah. The reign of Ghiyath Al Din Mahmud as a sultan was harmful to Bengal Sultanate as his attitude was careless towards the Portuguese in granting them the concession and also he tended his life in the struggle between Afgans and Mughals. As a result, Bengal was lost first to Mughal Emperor Humayun and then to Sher Shah Suri.

Coins of Ghiyath Al Din Mahmud are two series, ‘Badr Shahi’ coinage and the coinage with normal linear inscription.

‘Badr Shahi’ series of coins has the word ‘Badr Shah’ written on both sides of the coins. Most of the ‘Badr Shahi’ coins issued by him have date 933. Ghiyath Al Din Mahmud acquired the throne in the year 939, which means he got a chance to strike the coins in his own name six years before he sat on the throne. His ‘Badr Shahi’ coins were struck from important mints like Husainabad, Fathabad and Muhammadabad, but coins with mint names Sayyedabad, Saifabad, Rahillabad, Badarpur and Arkan are also found.

One of his silver Tanka, minted in Arkan, ‘Badr Shahi’ series was sold for INR 5000 at Todywalla Auction held in Mumbai on 11 September 2015. The Obverse of this coin reads as ‘Al-Sultan Bin Al-Sultan Ghiyath Al-Dunya Wa Al-Din Abul Muzaffar Muhammad Shah with the word 'Badr Shahi' written in the central circle. whereas the reverse side of the coin reads as ‘Al-Sultan Bin Husain Shah Al-Sultan Khallada Allah Mulkahu wa Sultanahu with the word 'Badr Shahi' written in the central circle.