1/8 Rupee - Wajid Ali Shah

Wajid Ali Shah ruled Awadh during its final years as a nominally independent state, with the East India Company exercising increasing control over his administration and treasury. The British annexation came in 1856, just years after this type was struck, on the stated grounds of misgovernance — a pretext that provoked widespread outrage and contributed directly to the grievances fueling the 1857 uprising. Wajid Ali Shah himself was exiled to Calcutta, where he lived under British supervision until his death in 1887.

KM#357.1 distinguishes this variety within the broader Awadh fractional series by mint details specific to Lucknow.