Description

This coin is a Silver Square Rupee minted during the reign of the third Mughal Emperor, Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (reign: 1556–1605 AD).

Specifically, this is the classic "Kalima" type square rupee.

Ruler: Akbar the Great (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar)

Material: Silver (typically around 96\% pure silver, weighing approximately 11.2 to 11.4 grams)

Obverse (Image 1): Features the Emperor's name and titles divided by horizontal lines:

Top band: "...Akbar Badshah Ghazi..." (اکبر بادشاه غازی)

Middle band: "Jalal-ud-din Muhammad" (جلال الدین محمد)

Bottom band: "Khallada Allahu Ta'ala Mulkahu..." (خلد الله تعالى ملكه - "May Allah perpetuate his kingdom"), along with the mint name (often Ahmedabad, Lahore, or Urdu Zafar Qarin).

Reverse (Image 2): Features a central square containing the Kalima Shahada ("La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur Rasulullah" / لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله). The margins surrounding the central square contain the names and epithets of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali).
This coin was minted at the Urdu Zafar Qarin (اردو ظفر قرین) imperial camp mint.

The Mint & Historical Context

Meaning: The name translates directly to "The Camp Associated with Victory".

The Imperial Travelling Mint: Rather than a fixed city mint, this was the Mughal Emperor's highly organized travelling court and military camp mint. Because Akbar spent a vast portion of his reign on military campaigns consolidating the empire, this mobile mint followed him to strike currency on the move, primarily to pay his soldiers and officers.

The Millennium (Alf) Issue: The vast majority of these square rupees were struck around the Islamic millennium (Hijri year 1000, written as "Alf" on the coin) in 1591/1592 AD.