2017-11-24 Fri

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq is known as a “Man of Ideas” and can be said one of the most striking Sultans of medieval India. He was the eldest son of Ghiyat Al-Din Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq Dynasty. He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan.

This gold Dinar, minted in Mulk Ma’abar, which weighs around 12.78 g was sold for INR 4, 00,000 at Classical Numismatic Gallery. The obverse of the coin is inscribed with Arabic legend ‘Fi Zaman Al-Abid Al-Wathiq Bi Nasr Allah Muhammad Bin Tughlaqshah’and the reverse of the coin is inscribed with Kalima ‘La Ilaha Illah Allahu Muhammadur Rasulullah’ within the circle and Arabic legend ‘Hizz Al-Sikka Fi Mulk Ma’abar Sanah’ followed by date in words.

This is an extremely rare coin with mint name Ma’abar. A Dinar with the same obverse legend is listed in G&G as D337 on the authority of Nelson Wright, but neither mentions a date or a mint. The only other coin is hitherto known of Muhammad Tughlaq bearing the mint-name 'Mulk Ma'abar' is a unique 4-pagoda in the collection of the Bode Museum in Berlin (G&G D320), struck in the name of his father earlier in his reign.

The kingdom of Ma'abar or Madurai was won over from the Pandyas during the reign of Ghiyath al-Din Tughlaq. It remained under the direct rule of the Delhi Sultanate for a little more than ten years. The date on this Dinar of Ma'abar is the latest date for the heavy denomination known. In only one year after the date on this coin, Ma'abar seceded from Delhi under the rule of Ahsan Shah, who founded his independent Sultanate at Madurai.