Lot 375

Independent Kingdoms, Rohilkhand, INO Alamgir II (AH 1167-1173, 1754-1759 AD), Silver Nazarana Rupee, 11.36 gms, 24.40 mm, Najibabad Mint (fully visible at top on reverse), Obv: Persian legend "Sikka Mubarak Badshah Ghazi Alamgir" & Hijri year 1169 at the top, Rev: Persian legend "sana 2 julus" & "zarb Najibabad" completely visible at the top, AH 1169, RY 2, Unlisted in KM, extremely fine, very scarce.

Najib ad-Dawlah, also known as Najib Khan Yousafzai, was an Afghan Yousafzai Rohilla who rose from a Mughal serviceman to one of the most influential military and political figures of 18th-century North India. Originally an immigrant soldier from Nazar Khel in Swabi, he entered Mughal service in 1743 and later served under Imad-ul-Mulk, but alarmed by the growing dominance of the Marathas and influenced by Shah Waliullah, he defected from the Mughals and supported Ahmad Shah Abdali in the 1757 invasion of Delhi. As a reward, he was appointed Mir Bakhshi (paymaster-general) and later assumed the titles Najib ad-Dawlah, Amir al-Umra, and Shuja ad-Dawlah. He became a leading Rohilla chief of Rohilkhand, founded the city of Najibabad in the 1740s, and played a decisive role in securing victory for the Afghan-Rohilla alliance at the Third Battle of Panipat. From 1757 until his death in 1770, he governed Saharanpur and the surrounding region including Dehradun, leaving behind numerous architectural and administrative legacies that marked the height of Rohilla power in northern India.