2017-12-20 Wed

Mughal Emperor Ali Gauhar also was known as Shah Alam II was the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal Empire. His power was so depleted during his reign that it led to a saying in Persian ‘Sultanat-e-Shah Alam Az Dilli Ta Palam’ (The kingdom of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam, Palam being a suburb of Delhi).

This silver rupee of Shah Alam II which weighs around 10.74g was minted at Shahjahanabad. The obverse of the coin is inscribed with Persian couplet ‘Sahib-Qiran Hami Deen Shah Alam Badshah’ with Devanagari word “Ram” inscribed in the second line. The reverse of the coin reads as ‘Zarb Shahjahanabad sanah 35 julus mainamat manus’ and star to the left of RY.

Mention of the word “Ram” it is plausible that it must have been a Hindu polity. Possible contenders are the Jats, the Ahirs and the Rajput. The coin is yet another example of the complicated yet amusing and challenging series of issues with pseudo mint name ‘Shahjahanabad’.

This coin was sold for INR 40,000 at Classical Numismatic Gallery. To know more about the Mughal coins click here.