2018-06-07 Thu

Depicted here is a silver Rupee issued in the reign of Jahangir from Kishtwar (Khitwar) mint. The obverse of the coin shown the legend Jahangir Shah Akbar Shah while the reverse of the coins depict the Persian month Mihr Ilahi, mint name, RY 10, and AH 1024.

Kishtwar is one of the rarest mints, not just for the coins of Jahangir, but also for the entire Mughal coinage. Kishtwar was a small Hindu kingdom to the south of the Kashmir valley, mostly semi independent throughout its 400 years of existence.

It served as a refuge for the last dynasty of the Sultans of Kashmir after the Sultanate yield to a Mughal invasion under Akbar. Early in Jahangir's reign, Bhup Singh the king of Kishtwar successfully repelled a Mughal army. The kingdom was finally conquered by the Mughals in 1619, when Gaur Singh the successor of Bhup Singh, was captured and his capital plundered.

Image Source: Classical Numismatic Gallery