Silver Sasnu Coins

Sultans of Kashmir, Shams ud-din Shah, Silver Sasnu (1537-1538)

Silver Sasnu

Legend: Al sultan Al-a' Zam Shams Al-din shah 

Within central ornamental diamond: zarb Kashmir,

Weight :   6.16 gm, 

Dimensions : 16    x 16 mm.

We last mentioned Kashmir in our discussion of coin 23. In the 7th century, Kashmir was in the hands of the Hunnic Kidarites. Over the next six or seven centuries, the kingdom was ruled by a succession of Hindu dynasties. What is particularly remarkable about this entire period is that the coinage remained remarkably stable ... the same basic design (similar to coin 23) persisted throughout this period, with only the names of the kings or queens changing over time.

Hindu rule lasted until the middle of the 14th century. An adventurer from Swat named Shah Mirza came to Kashmir, became a minister in the royal court, and eventually usurped the throne in 1346, thereby establishing the Kashmir Sultanate. This dynasty lasted through the 15th and most of the 16th century, eventually falling, like Malwa and Gujarat, to the Mughal emperor Akbar's conquering armies.

Through this entire period, the Sultanate issued a stable coinage based on a weight standard different from all its neighbors and its past: the silver sasnu of approximately 6.2 gm. Coin 40 is an example, in particularly fine style, of this coinage.

27 Oct 1947 The ruler of Jammu and Kashmir declares the accession of the ..... later threw her and her two sons in the prison and declared himself Sultan Shamsuddin. ... succeeded in usurping the throne, adopting the title Shams al-Din Shah. ... Sasnu as silver square and Kaserah as copper round coins were introduced of .