MUGHAL ERA COINS

  • February 25, 2022
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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MUGHAL ERA COINS

TOPIC: Art & Culture

Context- A piece of antiquity billed as a rarity — a one-rupee silver coin struck at Kabul mint by Shah Jahan to declare rebellion against his father Jahangir in 1627 — is going under the hammer in Bengaluru on February 26.

Concept-

  • The coin has been struck at Kabul in the name of Khurram, the pre-accession name of Shah Jahan.
  • The coin was an important aspect in the power struggle between Jahangir and his first son Khurram (Shah Jahan).

Mughal Coinage:

  • The standard gold coin of the Mughals was the Mohur.
    • AbulFazl in his ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ indicated that a Mohur was equivalent to nine rupees. Half and quarter mohurs are also known.
  • The silver rupee which was an adoption from Sher Shah’s currency, was the most famous of all Mughal coins.
  • Akbar issued both round and square coins.
    • In 1579, he issued gold coins called Ilahi coins to propagate his new religious creed ‘Din-i-Illahi’. O
    • n this coin, it was written ‘God is great, may his glory be glorified’.
    • Sahansah was the largest gold coin.
    • These coins bore the names of the persian solar months.
  • Jahangir showed the legend in a couplet in the coins. In some of his coins, he added the name of his beloved wife Noorjahan. The most famous of his coins had images of Zodiac signs.
  • Shah Jahan continued striking coins in three metals i.e. gold (mohur), silver (rupee) and copper (dam).
    • His pre-accession coins bear the name Khurram.
    • Rare coins were struck in the name of Khurram during the early reign of Shah Jahan in the mints of Lahore and Kabul.
Arts and culture MUGHAL ERA COINS