Friday, 24 February 2017

Silver Tanka or Shahrukhi

Babur (Zahir ud-din Muhammad), Silver tanka or shahrukhi, (1526-1530)

Legend :- Babur Zahir ud Din             Muhammand

Weight: 4.62 gm.

 Diameter: 22-23 mm

Year : 1526 To 1530


Indian history of the 16th century is dominated by the arrival of the Mughals. The founder of the dynasty, Babur, was a descendent of Timur (Tamerlane) and Genghis Khan, and son of the ruler of Fergana in modern Uzbekistan. However, his father died when he was just 12 years old, and he was dispossessed of his inheritance by ambitious nobles who usurped the throne. For the next 30 years, Babur attempted to acquire a kingdom somewhere or other, attempting to take at various times (and temporarily succeeding sometimes) Fergana, Samarkand, Kabul, and so on. However, despite temporary successes, he was unable to hold a kingdom for any length of time. Eventually, he decided to invade India. The Sayyids, who were a Timurid dynasty, had lost the Delhi Sultanate to the Lodis, and so Babur used his Timurid ancestry as a justification for laying claim to the throne in Delhi. With help from the Safavid ruler in Persia, Babur was successful in defeating the Lodis at the first Battle of Panipat in 1526, thereby creating the Mughal empire based in Delhi.

Babur spent the next few years consolidating and expanding his position, which he had done by the time of his death in 1531. Coin 41 is an issue of Babur in the style of Timurid coins from Central Asia of that period. The coin does not name a mint, and may have been struck at Lahore. More coins of the early Mughals can be seen on this page. 

No comments:

Post a Comment