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Moghul Empire – Shāh Jahān – Shāhjahānābād Mint, Gold

Photo from Baldwin

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

Composition

Gold

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	Comments	Rarity
SJ	2632.	262.1	Mohur	xxxx	26
SJ	√ 2632c.		”	1064	28	Her
SJ	2633.		”	1066	30
SJ	2634.		”	1067	30
SJ	√ 2634b.		”	1067	30	ClassNG
SJ	2634c.		”	1069

Photo from Bhandare who wrote Shahjahan - gold Mohur of Dar al-Khilafah Shahjahanabad mint. Curiously, this coin in dated AH1069. Aurangzeb formally deposed Shahjahan on 31st July 1658 - corresponding to 1 Zil'qada 1068. The coronation took place at Shahjahanabad - the royal throne was brought out of the Red Fort and set up in a royal garden on the West side of the Fort. The year 1069 began two months later on Sept 29th 1658. So how/why should this coin bear AH1069? A puzzle!

(Ashmolean Collection)

Jan Lingen wrote

The beginning of Aurangzeb’s reign is somewhat complicated. Shah Jahan was never formally deposed and it is therefore not at all easy to fixed the exact day on which his reign came to an end.

We know that coins bearing Aurangzeb's name were struck in that year, though chroniclers say that the settlement of the ‘khutba’ and the ‘Sikka’ was left over for a more fitting occasion. It is possible that a few coins were struck merely in commemoration of the event and that otherwise coins in the name of Shah Jahan may have continued to be issued.

Aurangzeb directed Prince Muhammad Sultan to go into the fort of Agra and place some of his trusty followers in charge of the gates on 17 Ramzan 1068 (8 June 1658).

Two days after the surrender of the Akbarabad fort, Prince Aurangzeb held a great ‘darbar’ in his camp, which was attended by all the high nobles and officers of the state. On the same day, Princess Jahanara visited Aurangzeb and urged him to visit his royal father. Aurangzeb expecting this to be a trap, ultimately refused to visit his father what he in later years also never did.

Aurangzeb set out towards Shahjahanabad to fight Dara Shikoh who had fled into the Punjab. As a result that Aurangzeb met with no opposition when he reached the metropolis on the 14 Shawwal 1068 (5 July 1658). By that time, Prince Aurangzeb had decided to proclaim himself Emperor, in order to settle all doubts as to his intentions and to legitimize his assumption of absolute power. Aurangzeb’s first coronation took place on Wednesday 1st Zi-l-qa’da 1068 (21 July 1658). On that occasion he adopted the title ‘Aurangzeb Alamgir’. There was not sufficient time to prepare a grand celebration in the palaces of Shahjahanabad fort. Therefore a much curtailed coronation ceremony was held in the A’izzabad garden outside the metropolis.

We know that coins bearing his name were struck in that year, though chroniclers say that the settlement of the ‘khutba’ and the ‘Sikka’ was left over for a more fitting occasion. It is possible that a few coins were struck merely in commemoration of the event and that otherwise coins in the name of Shah Jahan may have continued to be issued, but it is more likely that his supporters, to please Shah Jahan confined in the seraglio of the fort at Akbarabad, got some presentation coins struck on his 33rd coronation day, 1 Jamuda II 1069 (14 February 1659). On the present gold mohur, his regnal year was (purposely?) not inscribed. Moreover the actual heir-apparent, Shah Jahan’s eldest son, was still in war with Aurangzeb.
Six days after his coronation Aurangzeb set off with his main army in pursuit of his elder brother in the Punjab, Sind and Gujarat. Aurangzeb’s first coronation wasn’t fitting enough and after the defeat of Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb returned in triumph to Shahjahanabad, were he made his entry on 29 Shaban 1069 (12 May 1659). As the first coronation had been carried out in great haste, it was decided to hold a second coronation. The second coronation took place on Sunday 24 Ramzan 1069 (5 June 1659) whereupon he proclaimed himself Emperor of Hindustan under the title of ABU’L-MUZAFFAR MUHYI AL-DIN MUHAMMAD AURANGZEB BAHADUR ‘ALAMGIR PADSHAH GHAZI. The festivities of the coronation went on for more than two months. Soon after the official date of accession was fixed by Imperial decree as 1 Ramzan 1068 (23 May 1658).

Note: all AD- dates are given according to the Julian Calendar, for the present (Gregorian) calendar add 11 days.

Photo from Shatughan Saravagi. Shah Jahan (1628-1658 AD), Gold Mohur, 10.92g, Dar ul-Khilafat Shahjahanabad Mint, AH 1068/RY 31. Obv: Kalima in multi-lobed cartouche. Rev: King's name in centre; mint, laqab and Sahib Qiran Thani in margins, KM 262.1, 25.30mm.

Moghul Empire – Shāh Jahān – Shāhjahānābād (dār al-khilāfat) Mint, Silver – Type 1 – Niṣār

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

Composition

Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	Comments	Rarity
SJ	2635.	246.6	Niṣār	1060	24
SJ	2636.		”	1061
SJ	2637.		”	1062
SJ	2638.		”	1063	27
SJ	2639.		”	1066	29		Ref: Ashmolean collection
SJ	2639c.		”	1066	30
SJ	2640.		”	1067	31

Photo from S Bhandare

Moghul Empire – Shāh Jahān – Shāhjahānābād (dār al-khilāfat) Mint, Silver – Type 2 – Niṣār

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

Composition

Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	Comments	Rarity
SJ	2641.	247.2	Niṣār	1047	11
SJ	2642.		”	1066	29
SJ	√ 2642c.		”	1066	30	Noble

Moghul Empire – Shāh Jahān – Shāhjahānābād Mint, Silver – Type 3

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

Composition

Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	Comments	Rarity
SJ	2643.	228.4	Rupee		22
SJ	2644.		”	1060	24
SJ	2645.		”		25
SJ	2646.		”	1062
SJ	2647.		”		27
SJ	2648.		”	1065	28
SJ	2649.		”	1066	30
SJ	2650.		”		31

Moghul Empire – Shāh Jahān – Shāhjahānābād Mint, Silver – Type 4

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

Composition

Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	Comments	Rarity
SJ	2651.	230.2	Rupee	1058	22

Moghul Empire – Shāh Jahān – Shāhjahānābād Mint, Silver – Type 5

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

Composition

Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	Comments	Rarity
SJ	√ 2652.	232.2	Rupee	1069	32	ClassNG

Moghul Empire – Shāh Jahān – Shāhjahānābād Mint, Copper

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

Composition

Copper

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	Comments	Rarity
SJ	2653.	206.5	Dam	xxxx	xx