2017-04-29 Sat

Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, who reigned from 1628 to 1658. He was born as ‘Shihab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram’ in Lahore, present-day Pakistan in the year 1592. ‘Khurram’ which means ‘Joyful’ was the name given to him by his grandfather Akbar the great. He is also known for building a magnificent monument Taj Mahal of Agra, as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The period of his reign is considered as the golden age of Mughal architecture.

The meaning of the word Shah Jahan is ‘King of the World’. During his reign, India became the richest centre of art, crafts, and architecture and this is seen in their coins too.

This gold mohur was minted in Dar-al-Khilafat Akbarabad. The weight of the coin is around 10.8g and was issued in the Hijri year 1068 during his 32nd regnal year. The obverse of the coin is inscribed as ‘Shah Jahan Badshah Ghazi’with RY date in octafoil, title of the king in written in the margin. And the reverse is inscribed with ‘Kalima’ in octafoil, name of four caliphs and AH date in margin. This very rare coin was sold for INR 83,000 at Todywalla Auction.