2018-07-18 Wed

The Bahmani Kingdom was a Muslim State in Deccan; it was the first independent Islamic kingdom of southern India. This kingdom was established by Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah after revolting against the Delhi Sultanate of Muhammad bin Tughluq.

Nizam Al-Din Ahmad Shah III ruled Bahamani Sultanate form 1461CE till 1463 CE. He was the eldest son of Humayun Zalim Shah; he sat on the throne after the death of his father in the year 1461 CE at the age of 8. As he was too small to handle empire’s welfare, his father had appointed Muhmud Gawan and his wife Makhduma-e-Jahan Nargis Begum as regent to run kingdom smoothly.

Copper issued by Nasir Al-Din Ahmad Shah III are of four types, all with different Arabic legends.

I) ‘Al-Mustansir Bi-Nasr Allah Al-Qawl Al-Ghani’ meaning, ‘He who seeks aid from the support of God, the strong, the rich’.
II) ‘Al- Raji Bi-ta ‘yid Al-Rahman’ meaning ‘He who hopes for the support of the Merciful One’.
III) ‘Al-Muti ‘Al-Mannan Bi-Amr Allah’ meaning ‘He who is obedient and beneficent by God’s Command’.
IV) ‘Al-Wathiq Al-Rahman’ meaning ‘He who confides in God, the merciful’.
This copper Gani issued by Nasir Al-Din Ahmad Shah III weighs around 16.4g. The obverse of this coin is inscribed with ‘Al-Mustansir legend’. The reverse of the coin is inscribed as ‘Ahmad Shah Bin Humayun Shah Al-Bahamani’.

Image Courtesy: Todywalla Auction