Silver Tanka of Muzaffar Shah II– Gujrat Sultanate

 

Obverse

Inscription	Muzaffar Shah bin Mahmud Shah al Sultan Khallada Allah Mulkahu 903	मुज़फ़्फ़र शाह बिन महमूद शाह अल सुल्तान ख़लदह अल्लाह मूलकहु 903	مظفر شاہ بن محمود شاہ السلطان خلد اللہ ملکہ 903
Translation	Muzaffar Shah, son of Mahmud Shah, The Sultan May God preserve the country 903	मुज़फ़्फ़र शाह, पुत्र महमूद शाह, सुल्तान भगवान इस राज्य को कायम रखे 903	مظفر شاہ بن محمود شاہ سلطان خدا اس سلطنت کو قائم رکھے 903

Reverse

Inscription	Al-mu’ayyad bi-ta’yid al-rahman Shams al-duniya wa’l din Abu’l Nasr	अल मुयय्यद बिताय्यद अल रहमन शम्स अल दूनया वा अल दीन आबुल नस्र	المؤید بتائید الرحمن شمس الدنیا و الدین ابوالنصر
Translation	He who trusts in the support of the merciful one Sun of the world and faith Father of Victory	वह जो दयालु के समर्थन में भरोसा करता है विश्व और धर्म का सूरज विजय के पिता	وہ جو رحمن کی حمایت پر بھروسہ رکھتا ہے دنیا اور دین کا آفتاب ابوالفتح

Sultanate of Gujrat

At a time when things were chaotic in Delhi, Zafar Khan, the viceroy of the Delhi Sultanate in Gujarat, declared independence, which led to the establishment of the sultanate of Gujarat. The kingdom endured for about 200 years, despite regular intrigues in the court and hostilities with the nearby kingdoms of Malwa and Mewar. In 1583, the kingdom was finally annexed to the Mughal empire by Akbar.

Muzaffar Shah II

Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah II (reigned: 1511-1526) was the nineth sultan of the Muzaffarid Dynasty of the Gujrat Sultanate. He was known for his strong administration and efficient governance. Shortly after ascending to the throne, he became involved in the civil war occurring in the Malwa Sultanate. The pretender Muhammad II sought his aid but Muzaffar decided to help the legitimate ruler of the Malwa, Mahmud Shah II, instead.

Eventually, Muzaffar conceived the idea of annexing Malwa entirely rather than aiding its ruler. He sent an army to Dhar but after learning of Mahmud II’s conflict with the Rajputs he decided to withdraw his army as he decided not to attack a fellow Muslim in such as position. Ultimately, they were successful in restoring the throne to Mahmud Shah II.[i]

The coin

The ruler’s titles are spread over both sides of the coin. This style of calligraphy is typical to the coins of the Gujrat Sultanate.

Another interesting detail to note is that this is likely an error coin. The date which it presents is 903 AH, while Muzaffar Shah II’s rule was from 917-932 AH. It is possible that while engraving the die, the engraver did not carve a retrograde image onto the die resulting in the digits being mirrored as well as interchanged. This error must have been rectified soon as identical coins with 930 AH, which falls in Muzaffar’s period, have also been found.[ii]

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[i] Goenka, S. G. (2022). The Coins of the Indian Sultanates: Covering the Areas of Present Day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. New Delhi: Manoharlal Publishers & Distributors.

[ii] Jan Lingen, A. M. (2009, October 9). Shams al-Din Muzaffar Shah II, AH917-932 / AD1511-1525. Retrieved from Zeno: https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=75828