Shah Alam II was the 16th Mughal ruler of India. He sat on the golden throne of Delhi in the year 1759 CE and ruled it till 1806 CE. The real name of Shah Alam II was Ali Gauhar. He was the son of Emperor Alamgir II.

After sitting on the throne he wanted to extend and strengthen his powers by gaining control over Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha. His power was so depleted during his reign that it led a saying in the Persian language, ‘Sultanate-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam’ which means ‘The Empire of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam’, Palam being a suburb of Delhi’.

Shah Alam II spend his last few years under the protection Maratha Chief Sindhia. But, after the second Anglo Martha war which was fought between Maratha and British, all his powers remain inside his palace, due to which he saved millions of rupee in his treasury. The British government also called him as ‘King of Delhi’ who issued coins bearing his name for the next 30 years.

The above gold mohur was issued by Shah Alam II from the mint Dar-ul-Khilafat Shahjahanabad during the 22nd year of his reign.

Image Courtesy: Todywalla Auction