Aurangzeb, Silver Rupee, 11.45g, Sondha Mint, AH 1111/ RY 44 (Unpublished). Extremely fine, exceedingly rare. Offered for the first time. Sondha (alternatively known as Sodhe, Sonda, Sonde, Swadi, Sudhapur etc.) was a local kingdom ruled by a Virashaiva Nayaka family, which rose to prominence after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire. During 17th century, the kingdom became closely associated with the Marathas but found itself squeezed between the prolonged war that ensued between Mughals and Marathas, waged by the emperor Aurangzeb after Chattrapati Shivaji’s death in 1680. As a survival tactic, Sondha accepted nominal Mughal allegiance and as a result managed to extend its sway towards South Maharashtra, Goa and North Canara regions. At the same time, the kingdom continued to extend help to the Marathas against the Mughals. This was however, a fine balancing act. In 1699-1700, when this coin was struck, the political relations between Mughals and local rulers of Karnataka, such as the Nayakas of Sondha and Bednur, were entering a new phase. The Mughal headquarters were based very close to the Sondha territory and the ensuing war pressurized the ruler, Basawappa Nayaka to declare his allegiance to the Mughals afresh. It is very likely that the coin was struck during this period much like other local rulers like the Sawants of Wadi struck coins in Aurangzeb’s name. The discovery of the rupee of Sondha adds yet another new name to the Mughal mint repertoire.