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Princely State of Hyderabad
Asaf Jah VI
1 Rupee
海德拉堡土邦
阿薩夫·賈赫六世
1盧比
Item number: A1832
Year: AD 1912 (AH 1330)
Material: Silver
Size: 30.2 x 30.2 x 1.6 mm
Weight: 11.05 g
Manufactured by: Farkhanda Mint, India
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024
This is a 1-rupee silver coin minted in AH 1330 (AD 1912) under the rule of Asaf Jah VI in the Hyderabad Princely State. The centre of the obverse features Hyderabad’s most iconic landmark, the Charminar, which was built in the 16th century. Below the gateway, the Urdu letter “م” is inscribed.
Around the gateway, additional inscriptions are present. At the top, the Persian numeral “۹۲” (92) symbolises the name of Prophet Muhammad, alongside the ruler’s name, “اصف جاہ” (Asaf Jah). On the left, the honorific title “بهَادُر” (Bahadur) is inscribed, meaning “His Excellency.” On the right, the ruler’s official title “نظامُ الملك” (Nizam-ul-Mulk) signifies his status as the Nizam (king). At the bottom, the Hijri year “١٣٣٠ ســـنہ” (year 1330) is inscribed in Persian numerals.
At the centre of the reverse side, the denomination “يَك روپيّہ” (1 Rupee) is inscribed. Surrounding this, within a bergamot-shaped motif influenced by the Persian-Mughal courtly tradition, an Urdu inscription states the minting date and location: “In the first year of Nizam’s rule, minted in Farkhanda, Hyderabad.”
During the period of British rule in the Indian subcontinent, alongside the territories directly administered by the British, there were numerous princely states that emerged from the fragmentation of the Mughal Empire. Hyderabad in central and southern India was one of the most powerful princely states. Its ruler was originally the Mughal Empire’s governor in the Deccan region. After declaring independence in AD 1724, the coins minted by Hyderabad no longer bore the title of the Mughal emperor but instead featured the ruler’s own Nizam title.
In AD 1869, at the age of only three, Asaf Jah VI ascended to the position of the sixth Nizam. He received a British-style education and actively promoted modern infrastructure such as railways in the princely state until his death in AD 1911. In AD 1947, faced with the impending political changes as Britain prepared to leave the Indian subcontinent, the Hyderabad State had the options of joining India, joining Pakistan, or maintaining its independence. It chose to remain independent. Consequently, in AD 1948, shortly after its independence, India launched Operation Polo, an invasion that led to the annexation and dissolution of the Hyderabad State.
Smt. Shubha, Dr. I. K. Pattar, “Coinage System Under The Mir Osman Ali Khan Period (1911-1948),” Review of Research, 2023, pp. 1–4
M. Shateri & T. Ahmadi, “Investigation and Symbology of Plant Motifs on Iranian Coins from Ilkhanid to Qajar Period,” Pazhoheshha-ye Bastan Shenasi Iran, 2023, pp. 285–311
George S. Cuhaj, Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 6th edition (USA:Krause Publications, 2019)