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1 Rupee - Shah Alam II [Shivaji Rao]
| Issuer | Princely state of Indore |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890-1898 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing two lines of Persian script divided by a horizontal rule, invoking the name and regnal title of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. The inscription is enclosed within a wreath of stylised foliate sprays, characteristic of late Holkar coinage. The hammered flan produces a slightly irregular, convex surface typical of hand-struck princely state issues. The overall design follows the traditional Mughal-derived format adopted by the Holkar rulers of Indore. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Devanagari |
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| Additional information |
Indore's silver rupees of this period present a genuine attribution puzzle: they bear the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II's name and regnal year despite Shah Alam II having died in 1806, nearly a century before these coins were struck. This was common practice among central Indian princely states long after Mughal authority had collapsed entirely — the emperor's name functioned as a legitimizing fiction, not a political reality. Holkar rulers continued issuing coinage in this form well into British paramountcy, when such gestures of nominal Mughal allegiance had become purely ceremonial.
Shivaji Rao Holkar ruled Indore from 1886 to 1903 under heavy British oversight following the administrative irregularities of his predecessor's reign.