Aligarh:
Two alumni of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), SM Javed, former principal of Yasin Meo Degree College in Haryana, and his wife Imam Bano, professor at the JN Medical College in the city, have donated their personal collection of historical artifacts – which includes some rare coins dating to the times of Akbar and Jahangir — to their alma mater. The collection, which the academic couple said had been in their family for many generations, contains 58 coins and medals along with documents of the Mughal court known as parwanas. Among the pride of the collection are silver and copper coins minted during the reign of emperors Akbar, Jahangir, Aurangzeb and Shah Alam, believed to be worth a few lakh rupees.
Elaborating on the reasons behind their decision to donate these family heirlooms, Javed, who passed out of AMU in 1968, said, “We could have easily got a tidy sum if we chose to sell these coins at online auction portals. But we decided that we would rather have these priceless items exhibited at the university museum where more people can see and appreciate them.”
A particularly interesting coin in the collection is a chau gosha or four-cornered coin minted in Akbar’s reign. “Akbar was an emperor who experimented consistently with the shape of his coins. Consequently, coins during his reign came in various shapes -round, square as well as hexagonal,” said Javed. The chau gosha bears the emperor’s full name ‘Jalaluddin Akbar’ and also has the names of the four caliphs inscribed on it.
Another unique coin has the words – Zarb-Zafar Urdu inscribed on it, indicating that it was a coin minted for the use of the army during military expeditions. “Urdu was a term used to denote a lashkar or military camp during Mughal times. Imperial marching armies were like moving cities and they needed their own currency while at war,” said Javed.
The collection also includes coins from the time of Queen Victoria, East India Company, King Edward VII and King George V. Besides, there are gallantry medals of World War II. “My uncles were in the British Army during the war. The medals that they won are also a part of the collection,” said Javed.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / by Eram Agha, TNN / February 11th, 2015