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The Adil Shahi sultanate was established first by Yusuf Adil Shah, the Bahmanid governor of Daulatabad, who declared his independence in 1490 at a point when Bahmanid
affairs were in some disarray. He and his successors were able to survive for close to 200 years, their fortunes sometimes waning and sometimes waxing as they competed at
various times with the other sultanates like Golconda and Ahmadnagar, the Hindu empire of Vijayanagar, and even the Mughals under Jahangir and Shah Jahan. For a while,
Shahji, the father of the great Maratha king Shivaji, was in service to the Bijapur sultan, but Shivaji himself was always at odds with the Adil Shahis and a constant source of
trouble. Eventually, Aurangzeb was able to annex the kingdom, making the sultan, Sikandar Adil Shah, a noble of the Mughal court.
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Muhammad 'Adil Shah (1627-1656) |
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Muhammad 'Adil Shah (1627-1656) Gold pagoda
Weight: 3.36 gm., Diameter: 9 mm., Die axis: 9 o'clock
Legend /
Legend
Ref: Goron-Goenka BJ20 |
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An example of the "Persian couplet" type. The couplet reads:
jahan zin do muhammad girift zinat-o jah
yake muhammad-i-mursal duwam muhammad shah
(The world received beauty and dignity from two Muhammads: the one is Muhammad the apostle and the other Muhammad Shah) |
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Anonymous |
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Anonymous Gold pagoda
Weight: 3.36 gm., Diameter: 12 mm., Die axis: 2 o'clock
Uncertain object /
Uncertain object
Ref: Goron-Goenka BJ49 |
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These uninscribed coins are attributed to the Adil Shahis because they are always found in the Bijapur territories. What the
objects on the coin represent is not known. Dealers often sell them as representing the male and female genitalia, but this seems obviously incorrect. One other theory is that the
obverse shows the Gol Gumbaz, a major building in Bijapur, and the reverse shows two people in a boat, but this also seems highly unlikely. |
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Anonymous Gold half pagoda
Weight: 1.65 gm., Diameter: 9 mm., Die axis: 7 o'clock
Uncertain object /
Uncertain object
Ref: Goron-Goenka BJ49 |
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Anonymous Gold half pagoda
Weight: 1.67 gm., Diameter: 9 mm., Die axis: 11 o'clock
Uncertain object, Persian letter ain /
Uncertain object
Ref: Goron-Goenka --- (half version of BJ45) |
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This version has the Persain letter ain on the obverse, which some think indicates that it must have been issued
by Ali Adil Shah. |
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