2018-02-26 Mon

Mahmud I consolidated the Sultanate of Gujarat by winning over Saurashtra and becoming the master of two impregnable forts of the region - Champanir and Junagarh hence he got the title ‘Begada’ ‘Be’ means Two and ‘Goda’ means Fort. Champanir was captured on 21st November 1484 after a siege lasting 20 months and Mahmud spent the next twenty years modifying and embellishing the fort with many buildings.

He had struck a large number of coins during his reign. Coins which were struck by him are in gold, silver, and copper. Few billion coins struck by him are also found.

One of his gold Tanka weighs around 11.5 gm. The legend on the obverse of the coin reads as ‘Al Wathiq Bi Tayid al-Rahman Nasir Al- Dunya Wa al-Din’ all within dotted circle. The reverse has a legend ‘Al Sultan Mahmud Shah Khallada Mulkahu’ within the centre circle and ‘Zarb Shehr-e-Mukarram Muhammadabad Urf Champanir’ with AH date 899 written in the margin.

Similar coin is there on our site.

Image Courtesy: Classical Numismatic Gallery