Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Mughal Empire
Shah Jahan
Mohur Gold Coin
蒙兀兒帝國
沙賈汗 莫哈爾金幣
Item number: A279
Year: AD 1628-1658
Material: Gold
Size: 20.2 x 19.9 x 1.6 mm
Weight: 10.84 g
Manufactured by: Multan, India
Provenance: Spink 2023
This is a Mohur gold coin minted during the reign of Shah Jahan, the most renowned emperor of the Mughal Empire, known for commissioning the construction of the Taj Mahal. During Shah Jahan’s reign, he discontinued the practise initiated by his father, Jahangir, of imprinting portraits or animals on coins, designs that were perceived to potentially violate Islamic doctrines, and returned to the tradition of imprinting religious inscriptions on coins. The central square on the obverse side of the coin is inscribed with verses from the Quran, while the corners feature the names of the four rightly guided caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. On the reverse side of the coin is written the emperor’s title and the place of minting: Multan, with a sun emblem resembling a canopy at the bottom left corner.
Shah Jahan was born as Khurram, and during his time as crown prince, he instigated a rebellion against his father, Jahangir. Although the rebellion was quickly suppressed, he was pardoned by his father and allowed to return to his own fiefdom. In AD 1628, after enduring brutal wars among his siblings, Khurram successfully ascended the throne and adopted the title Shah Jahan, meaning “King of the World” in Persian. Shah Jahan’s most renowned achievement is the construction of the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. He had a total of seven wives and fifteen children, with Mumtaz Mahal being the mother of fourteen of his offspring. In AD 1631, during her fourteenth childbirth, Mumtaz Mahal tragically died due to complications, plunging Shah Jahan into grief. He spent the next twenty years constructing the mausoleum for his beloved wife.
However, in AD 1658, five years after the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan fell gravely ill and was confined by his son, able to view the Taj Mahal from his quarters until his death in AD 1666. Shah Jahan was buried beside Mumtaz Mahal, resting eternally together at the Taj Mahal. The renowned Indian literary figure Tagore described the Taj Mahal as “a teardrop on the cheek of eternity.”