Lot 268

Mughal, Aurangzeb (AH 1068-1118, 1658-1707 AD), Silver Rupee, 11.52 gms, 24.31 mm, Machhlipatan Mint (fully visible at bottom on rev), AH 1114, RY (4)4, 'Badar-e-munir' couplet, Machhlipatan, now officially called Machilipatnam, was one of the most prosperous port cities on India's eastern coast during the Mughal era. Known to Europeans as Masulipatnam, it served as the principal seaport of the Deccan and connected India with the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, Southeast Asia, and Europe. In 1687 AD (AH 1098 spanning into AH 1099), the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb conquered the Golconda Sultanate after a prolonged siege. With Golconda's fall, Machilipatnam became part of the Mughal Empire and was incorporated into the Subah (province) of Hyderabad, After Aurangzeb's death in 1707 AD / AH 1119, Mughal authority weakened rapidly. The Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I established the independent Hyderabad State in 1724 ad (1136 AH and 1137 AH), and Machilipatnam came under the Nizams. KM # 300.55, very fine+, rare.