World coins chat: India - Mughal Empire

4 posts
History:


Map of Mughal Empire
(from Wikipedia)

Babur the 1st emperor of Mughal empire was from central asia and was a direct descendant of Timur and Gengis Khan. In 1526 AD he defeated the Lodis in the 1st battle of panipat to establish the empire. The mughals (Babur and his son Humayun) ruled over parts of northern india until Sher Shah Suri deposed Humayun from the empire in 1540 AD. The Suris kept their empire until 1555 AD when Humayun was able to restore Mughal empire by defeating Hemu (The last hindu emperor of India) in the 2nd battle of panipat. It was Akbar (with help of his chief commander Bairam Khan) who extended the mughal empire to many folds and actually got a stronghold on Indian sub-continent. Akbar is highly regarded not only as able and strong king but also for his religious tolerance and focus towards Indian culture, art and literature. Akbar ruled Mughal empire from 1556 till 1605 AD.

After Akbar his son Jahangir and then his son Shah Jahan kept the Mughal Empire strong (though growth of the empire was limited). It was during Aurangzeb that Mughal Empire saw its greatest extent. Aurangzeb was a strong leader but showed religious intolerance towards Hindus (Unlike his great grandfather Akbar). Like Akbar, Aurangzeb also ruled for a very long time (From 1658 till 1707 AD).

After Aurangzeb the Mughal empire steadily declined and India fell apart with the Maratha Empire, Sikh Empire, Colonial powers and various Independent Kingdoms constantly fighting between each other for control over various areas of Indian Sub-Continent. Bahadur Shah II, the last emperor of Mughal empire was deposed in 1858 by the British East India company and exiled to Burma following the "War of 1857" after the fall of Delhi to the company troops. His death marks the end of the Mughal dynasty.
The Mughals were one of the most successful empires of their times in the world and were very well known (and still are) for their artistic marvels like Taj Mahal and their contribution to Indian art and culture.

Coinage:

Babur (the 1st mughal emperor) issued coins (Also known as shahrukhi or Light Tanka) whose weight and calligraphy was adopted from central asian coinage. Since babur's rule was limited to northern part of India and His son Humayun also struggled to keep hold of his empire, their coins (specially silver ones) are pretty scarce and expensive.


(Shahrukhi of Babur)

Mughal coinage took a major shift in terms of weight, calligraphy in the ruling period of Akbar. Akbar standardized the weight of rupee (to close to 11 - 11.6 grams), introduced the use of illahi era (as opposed to standard AH dates), and standardized the calligraphy like to use Kalima (or Allahu Akbar) on most of the coins that were issued during his time. Akbar issued coins which either round or Square in shape.


(Rupee of Akbar)


The coinage during Jahangir and Shah Jahan also showed distinct changes in terms of design. In terms of calligraphy it is very hard to say whose coins were the best (Between Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan). All three emperors issues were some of the best designs known for persian coinage (without any figures). Jahangir's zodiac rupee (in silver) and mohur (in gold) are some of the pinacles of mughal coinage.

The coins of Aurangzeb (Mainly silver rupee coins) and are probably the easiest to get, thanks to his long period of ruling and huge area that he rules. Aurangzeb had more than 50 mint towns!


(Rupee of Aurangzeb)

After aurangzeb, with the decline of Mughals mughal coinage became less and less common. Though many Indian princely states (even Marathas and British) issues coins in the name of mughal emperors but they had no real authority on those states and their presence were only for namesake.

Mughal coins are very highly sought after because of their distinct calligraphy and history. The coins of some Mughal emperors (Like akbar or Aurangzeb) are common, but for some specific mint towns are rare and unimaginably expensive. For an example this Aurangzeb rupee from Tibet was sold for 5,400 Pounds (http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=2090430&AucID=1972&Lot=2225&Val=8b2e475e33e6b584c5183050e3436744).

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/inde_moghol-1.html
“A man without a hobby is only half alive.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Great stuff Sujit, well done!
Quote: "jokinen"​Great stuff Sujit, well done!
​Thank you!

Hope to see some Mughal coins here from fellow collectors.
“A man without a hobby is only half alive.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
friends can anybody explain the difference between shahrukhi and mitqal coins of mughals

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