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C.11
INDIA. Mughal Empire. Jalal al-Din Akbar.1556-1605. AV Mohur
(10.90 g, 5h). Agra mint. Dated Ilahi year 50 (AH 1012/13 / 1604 AD). "By the stamp of the emperor Akbar gold becomes bright";
Ilahi date / "On this gold the emperor's name is Light (upon Light)"; mint below. Jain 2; Wright -; Hull 1204 var. (longer
couplet); BMC 175 var. (year 51); KM 115.2 var. (same). EF, a few minor flan flaws, small drill mark on obverse. Struck on
a broad presentation flan with full dotted border. ($25,000)
The Ilahi dated coinage of Akbar was simply the most visible
symbol of the emperor's ambitious plan to transform Indian society, his Din-i-Ilahi, or Divine Faith. This syncretistic
social religion combined aspects of the numerous religious faiths abounding in India – primarily Islam and Hinduism
– with natural philosophy, mysticism and a strong imperial cult. On the coins, starting in RY (Ilahi) 30, the strong
Islamic sentiments expressed by the Kalima were replaced by gracious poetical couplets glorifying the emperor and the empire.
This Nur ala Nur – "Light upon Light" – mohur is the most elegant and one of the most rare coins reflecting
Akbar's new vision. This unitarian dream was not taken up by his successors, and the intolerant Aurangzeb destroyed the last
vestiges of his grandfather's new India.
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