Jahangir, Silver Rupee, 11.40g, Rohtas Mint, Ilahi Month Ardibihisht, RY 20. About very fine, exceedingly rare.
The fortress of Rohtas situated near Sasaram in South Bihar came into prominence when it was fortified afresh during the battles between the Afghans under Sher Shah and the Mughal emperor Humayun. In 1621, Khurram the son of Jahangir (and future ‘Shahjahan’), rebelled against his father, who was by now fully under the control of his queen Noorjahan, and tried to capture the Eastern parts of the Empire. He won the control of Rohtas from the garrison commander Sayyid Mubarak. However, Noorjahan dispatched Mahabat Khan against the rebellious prince, and in 1625 he was driven out of the fort and he fled towards the Deccan. The coins, which are dated RY19 and 20 appear to have been struck soon after this event and only for a very short period.