2017-03-21 Tue

Ghiyath Al-Din Balban was Sultan of Mamluk Dynasty of Delhi. He was appointed as a Wazir by Nasir Al-Din Mahmud, last sultan of Mamluk dynasty. When Balban was young he was captured by Mongols, carried to the Ghazni and was sold to Khawaja Jamal din of Basra. In the year 1232 AD he was brought to Delhi along with the other slaves and all of them were purchased by Iltutmish. From being a slave to raising to a powerful position of Wazir, Balban’s ascend was no less than a miracle. Following a long political void, Balban ascended to the throne of the Delhi Sultanate. Balban was the one of the most powerful rulers of the sultanates between Iltutmish and Alauddin Khilji.

Balban issued coins in gold, silver, copper and billon. Silver coins which he had issued were struck at Hadrat Delhi, Khitta Alwar, Khitta Sultanpur, and Lakhnauti. Some Lakhnauti mint silver tankas also have the name of the month as well as year inscribed on it.

This gold tanka was sold for INR 66,100 at Oswal Auction. The obverse of the coin is inscribed as ‘Al-Sultan Al-Azam Muizz Al-Dunya Wa’l Din Abul Muzaffar Balban Al-Sultan’ and reverse of the coin is inscribed as ‘Al Imam Al-Mutansir Amir Al-Mu’minin’ within a circle with mint name Hadrat Delhi and date written in the margin. Similar coin is there on our site.