Shahjahan pre-accession name Khurram, Lahore Mint, Silver Rupee, AH 1037/1 RY, Obv: La ilaha illa Allah Muhammadar Rasul Allah, with zarb Lahore sanah 1 julus 1037 (None is worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Struck (this coin) at Lahore (during) Year-1 (of) enthronement, 1037 AD), Rev: Abul Muzaffar Nasir ud din Muhammad Shahjahan Khurram Badshah Ghazi (Father of the victorious (a hyperbole indicating Shah Jahan as "The Victor"), helper/supporter of the faith (of Islam), Muhammad Shahjahan Khurram, Warrior King), 11.39g, 22.12mm, (Liddle # Type S-1), choice extremely fine, single test mark, Exceptionally Rare.

Prior to him being crowned the Mughal Emperor at Agra, Shah Jahan had already been in an open strife with his step-mother, Empress Nur Jahan the favorite wife of Jahangir and the de-facto ruler of the Mughal Empire. He had already been in open rebellion against his father once, and subsequently had to be subdued by force. Adding to his succession woes, was the desire of Nur Jahan to retain her role as the empire's main decision maker. To further that end, she had favored Shah Jahan's younger brother Mirza Shahryar as the successor to Jahangir. Shahryar, was the youngest son of Jahangir and the husband of Nur Jahan's daughter from her first marriage.

At the time of Jahangir's death, Shah Jahan was in exile in the Deccan, the conflict for succession arose between the heirs of Jahangir, Dawar Bakhsh backed by Asaf Khan (brother of Nur Jahan and Shah Jahan's father-in-law) and Shahryar backed by Nur Jahan. In the battle that followed, Dawar Bakhsh was victorious and Shahryar was subsequently imprisoned and blinded. Shah Jahan who was marching on Agra, sent a personal convoy to Asaf Khan from Ahmedabad, the Kingmaker of the time, and his father-in-law, to imprison the remaining claimants to the throne including the incumbent Dawar Bakhsh. The imprisoned Mughal princes were subsequently put to death on Shah Jahan's orders. Shah Jahan's harsh and bloody treatment meted out to his rivals was unprecedented in Mughal history, and was to define the nature of future power struggles between contending Mughal heirs.

Shah Jahan was proclaimed Emperor, in absentia, on 29th January 1628 at Lahore where Khutba was read and this coin was issued at the insistence of Asaf Khan. This was merely a symbolic gesture as he was absent. At this time Khurram was at Junner in Western India could not be contacted immediately to finalize his regnal name and title, therefore this coin bears his original name Khurram along with Shah Jahan (the title conferred on him by Jahangir for a successful Deccan campaign) and "Naser-ud-din" instead of "Shihab-ud-din". Shah Jahan ascended to the Mughal throne in the year 1037 AH (1628 CE). The coin offered here was minted at Lahore during the first year of Shah Jahan's rule. The inscription has Shah Jahan's pre-ascension name, Khurram (trans: delightful, happy). His title is however inscribed as Naser-ud-Din, Helper/Supporter of the Religion, as opposed to his more widely used title of Shihab-ud-Din, (rising) Star of the Religion, that occurs on almost all of his coins.

Coins bearing Shahjahan's pre-ascension name Khurram are extremely rare and of great historical importance!

Highest rarity of the Shahjahan's Silver Rupee!

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