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1 Jital - Shams al-Din Iltutmish
| Issuer | Delhi Sultanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1210-1235 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Devanagari |
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| Reverse description | Stylized humped bull (Zebu) facing left, rendered in the schematic, abstracted manner typical of early Delhi Sultanate billon jitals, continuing the iconographic tradition inherited from pre-Sultanate Rajput coinage. The bull's characteristic hump and tail are suggested through bold, curvilinear strokes within the irregular flan. The Devanagari legend referencing Sultan Shams al-Din Iltutmish is distributed in the field around the animal. The design reflects the transitional numismatic vocabulary of the early Sultanate, blending indigenous Hindu iconography with Islamic royal titulature. |
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| Additional information |
Iltutmish consolidated the Delhi Sultanate into a functioning empire after inheriting a fragile conquest from Qutb ud-Din Aibak, and his coinage reflects deliberate policy rather than continuity. He was the first Delhi sultan to receive formal investiture from the Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad in 1229, a legitimizing gesture that shaped how his authority was projected — including on struck metal. Billon jitals of this type circulated across a monetized economy stretching from Sindh to Bengal, financing military campaigns and a rapidly expanding administrative apparatus.