2018-03-08 Thu

Nasir ud din Haidar was the second king of Awadh. He was coronated in 1827 after the death of his father Ghazi ud Din Haidar.

Nasir ud Din Haidar lived up to the title of Nawab and enjoyed the luxury of the royal house. He had a strong belief in Astrology and Astronomy, which led him to set up an observatory at Lucknow ‘Tara Wali Kothi’ or ‘Star house’ which is decorated with exceptionally good astronomical instruments.

During the reign of Nassir-ud-Din Haidar, the Awadh government started declining. The administration of the kingdom was left in the hands of Wazir Hakim Mahdi and later in the hands of Raushan-ud-Daula. However, the fight between this three came to an end in the year 1837 with Nasir ud din Haidar being poisoned by one of the members of the court.

Nasir ud din Haidar died without having any offspring. The queen mother, Padshah Begum, put Munna Jan on the throne, but he was not acknowledged as a member of the royal family. The British arrest both Padshah Begum and Munna Jan and arranged the accession of late Nawab saadat Ali Khan's son, Nasir ud Daula under the title ‘Muhammad Ali Shah’ who promised to pay to the British Government a large sum of money.

This gold Ashrafi was issued by Nasir ud Haidar during the 4th year of his reign.

Image Courtesy: Todywalla Auction