Novamarketing Chiasso Medals Coins India B Mughal Empire India Mughal Empire Akbar Rupee Ilahi

# 213Rupee Ilahi 48 AkbarIndia B Mughal Empire
India – Mughal Empire – Akbar (AH 963-1014 / AD 1556-1605). Rupee Ilahi (*) 48 (AH 1011 / AD 1602), Persian month: Mihr ( = Libra, the 7th month of the zodiac). Mint: Sitpur, Silver (ø 20 mm – w. 11.28 g.). Edge: plain. Liddle S-65. KM –. Brown 526. Lane-Poole 177 (year 28 - Peshawar). Whitehead 352-3 var. Wright 250-252. Plant pp. 114-116. Rajgor n. iii, p. 16.

Obverse:
Persian legend. Ilahi creed in elaborate rhombus (from top to bottom: Allahu Akbar / Jalla Jalalahu = God is most great / glorified be His Glory). Border of dots.

Reverse:
Persian legend. Mint name and Ilahi date (from bottom to top: Zarb Sitpur 48 / Ilahi Mihr = Struck at Sitpur (in the) divine (year) 48 (in the month of) Mihr). Ornamental border.

Note:
In Sitpur were minted two different types of coins with Ilhai date 48 and 49, bearing the same legends on both sides, but with different ornaments. In the first one (Liddle S-53 and KM 93.18) the legends are enclosed in a simple dotted border on both sides (Ilhai date 48 and 49 are known). In the second one (Liddle S-65) the obverse legend is enclosed in an elaborate rhombus (or diamond) and in an outer dotted cirlce, the reverse legend is enclosed in an eight-pointed ornamented star and in an outer dotted cirlce (only the Ilhai date 48 is reported by Liddle). The ornaments of the second type are similar to the beautiful specimens of the Ahmadabad mint (Liddle S-56 / KM 94.2) but made in a more simple and crude style.
According to Mr. Whitehead the new Ilahi creed 'God is most great, eminent is His glory' slightly rearranged can mean 'Akbar is God, let His brightness shine forth'. (Whitehead, R.B. – Catalogue Of Coins In The Punjab Museum, Lahore: Coins of the Mughal Emperors – p. XXI).

(*) Din-i-Ilahi = Divine Faith. A syncretic religious doctrine propounded by the Emperor Akbar intending to merge the best elements of the religions of his empire, the elements were primarily drawn from Hinduism and Islam, but some others were also taken from Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism.
Ilahi Era: in his 29th regnal year Akbar changed the traditional Hejira era from his coins to the Ilhai era. This new era was based on solar year. This new dating system continued till his death in year 50 (AH 1013-14).

Web References:
www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=2499.0
overlordsstampandcoincollection.blogspot.com/2008_12_28_archive.html

Literature:
Brown C. J. – Catalogue of Coins in the Provincial Museum Lucknow / The Mughal Emperors – Vol. I-II, Oxford, 1920 (reprinted 1985).
Krause C. and Mishler C. – Standard Catalog of World Coins 1601-1700 – Krause Publications, 3rd Edition, Usa, 2003.
Lane-Poole Stanley – The Coinage of the Moghul Emperors of Hindustan in the British Museum – London, 1892 (reprinted 1983).
Liddle, A – Coinage of Akbar / The Connaisseur's Choice – Gurgaon, India, 2005.
Plant R. J. – Arab Coins and how to read them – Spink and Son Ltd., London, 1973, 1980 (revised), reprinted 2000.
Rajgor D. – Collector's Guide to Mughal Coins – University of Mumbai, India, 2002.
Whitehead R. B. – Catalogue of Coins in the Panjab Museum, Lahore / The Mughal Emperors – Vol. II, Oxford, 1914 (reprinted 1977).
Wright H. N. – Catalogue of the Coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta / The Mughal Emperors – Vol. III, Oxford, 1908 (reprinted 1972).