2018-03-15 Thu

Shihabuddin Muhammad Shah Jahan Badshah Gazi was the fifth Mughal Emperor. He ruled from 1628 to 1658 AD. The reign of Shah Jahan is considered by the historian as the most glorious period of the Mughal rule in India.

Coins of Shah Jahan include the gold and silver coins that had the Kalima and mint name on the one side and his name and title on the other side. The predecessors of Shah Jahan did not use any pretentious titles. But Shah Jahan, in the imitation of Timur, called himself 'Sahib-i-qiran sani'. After this, the later emperors started using this title.

Following the tradition of Jahangir, Shah Jahan also used the Ilahi months on the coins along with his regnal year and ordered that his regnal year to be reckoned according to the lunar system, on which Hijri era was based. This was followed by all his successors.

This beautiful gold Mohur is one example of Ilahi coins issued by Shah Jahan which represent the Persian month Azar. The obverse of this coin has a legend in Persian ‘Sahib-e-Qiran Sani Shihabuddin Muhammad Shah Jahan Badshah Gazi’. The reverse is inscribed with Kalima followed by the mint name, regnal year, and Ilahi month which read as ‘La Ilaha Illallahu Muhammadur Rasulullah Zarb Surat Sanah 2 Ilahi Mah Azar’.

To know more about similar coin click here.

Image Courtesy: Classical Numismatic Gallery