Lot 150

Bengal Sultanate, Jalal Al-Din Muhammad Shah, Second Reign (AH 821-836/7, 1418-1432/3 AD), Silver Tanka, 10.80 gms, 29.76 mm, No Mint, 'Lion' Type, Struck in the name of his father Ganesha, Obv: Arabic legend Jalal al-Dunya wa al-Din Abu al-Muzaffar Muhammad Shah al-Sultan, Rev: a lion to right with his paw raised, short Arabic legend above "bin Ganesha ibtad", Jalal al-Din Muhammad Shah (c. 1418–1433 CE) was the son of Raja Ganesha, a powerful Hindu noble who seized control of the Bengal Sultanate around 1414 CE. His rise faced opposition from sections of the Muslim establishment, traditionally associated with the Sufi scholar Nur Qutb Alam, and intervention by Ibrahim Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur. According to the traditional account, a political compromise resulted in Ganesha's son Jadu (Yadu) converting to Islam and ascending the throne as Jalal al-Din Muhammad Shah. Ganesha later regained power, and later chronicles claim that he attempted to reconvert his son to Hinduism through a purification ritual involving golden cows, though historians treat these details cautiously. After Ganesha's death, Jalal al-Din returned firmly to the throne and ruled as a Muslim sovereign, adopting Islamic titles and formulas clearly reflected on his coinage. The episode is particularly significant as an illustration of the complex interaction between religion, dynastic legitimacy and political necessity in medieval Bengal. Importantly, Raja Ganesha himself remained Hindu; it was his son Jadu who converted to Islam, although the precise circumstances of his conversion and reported reconversion remain debated, G&G # B342, multiple test marks & test cut overall very fine, very rare.