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The Kashmir Sultanate was not formed by conquest. Rather, it had been ruled for centuries by a Hindu dynasty until Shah Mirza, a Muslim from Swat and Chief Minister of the raja, married the raja's widow upon his death and assumed the throne in AH 747 (1346 CE). The Sultanate persisted until Kashmir was finally annexed by Akbar in AH 995 (1587 CE). The coinage of the Kashmir Sultanate is unique in that it has its own weight standard ... the sasnu of approximately 6.2 gm. All the coins are scarce to rare.
According to Goron & Goenka, this type used to be attributed to Sikandar Shah of Kashmir, who ruled 1493-1513, but die analysis shows that it was struck later in the 1510's. So the prevailing theory is that it was struck in 1517 by Muhammad Shah in the name of Sikandar Lodi, in gratitude for his aid in helping Muhammad Shah regain his throne. Another possibility is that it is an issue of Fath Shah's son Sikandar, who was briefly a claimant to the throne. I confess I like this theory better. In either event, it appears the coin was issued only for a short time, as a result of which it is a RARE type ... this is a CHOICE specimen! |