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1 Fanam - Muhammad Shah Kolar mint
| Issuer | Mughal Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1719-1748 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.38 g |
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| Obverse description | Crude hammered gold flan bearing a stylized Arabic inscription in the field, presenting the name of the reigning Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah in abbreviated or highly condensed form. The legend is rendered in a characteristic South Indian fanam style, with angular and compressed letterforms typical of small-denomination gold coins struck at regional mints. The overall design is primitive in execution, consistent with the artisanal hammering technique employed at the Kolar mint. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Muhammad Shah's reign lasted nearly three decades — unusually long for a late Mughal emperor — but his court was consumed by factional violence, Persian invasion, and the catastrophic sack of Delhi by Nadir Shah in 1739, during which an enormous portion of the imperial treasury was physically carried off to Persia. That the Kolar mint continued producing gold fanams through this period reflects the relative insulation of southern subsidiary mints from the chaos unfolding in the north. Kolar's gold output was tied to local Deccan sources rather than imperial reserves.