A.D. 750–900 Jital Silver Shahi Dynasty Bull & Horseman

11-Centuries-Old Shahi Dynasty Silver!

The Hindu Shahis were a dynasty that held sway over the Kabulistan, Gandhara and western Punjab during the early medieval period in the Indian subcontinent. Details regarding past rulers can be assembled only from disparate chronicles, coins, and stone inscriptions. That’s right, their history is so enigmatic that coins like this one available here are one of the key primary resources we have about their existence and life!

Simple And Elegant Design Exemplifies Region’s Diversity

Prior to their conversion to Hinduism, the Buddhist Shahis assumed control over their territory following the decline of the Kushan empire in the 3rd Century. Upon adopting Hinduism in around 870 they shifted their capital from Kabul to Ubhandapur, the site of Alexander the Great’s crossing of the Indus River in 327 B.C. Their coinage consists of two main types: “Bull and Horseman” and “Elephant and Lion.” Most of their coins were struck using silver, copper, bronze, and billon. Here you have the famous Bull and Horseman Jital coin struck in silver sometime between 750 and 900. It’s a simple and elegant representation of the diversity of the region. On one side is a soldier on horseback; on the reverse is a bull, an animal sacred to the Hindus.

A Fierce Reputation Honed By Battlefield Valor

The design is significant because only military commanders were ever mentioned in the inscription on these coins, a nod to their importance in staving off conquest from Muslim invaders based in Persia—accomplished in no small part due to their reputation as fierce warriors. Hindu Shahis battlefield valor was so respected that many Muslim chieftains in the region sought the safety of an alliance with the Shahis against their more barbaric Central Asian rivals. Large armies of Muslim invaders returned in later years and the Shahi Dynasty was finally conquered in A.D. 1001 by Mahmud of Ghazni at the Battle of Peshawar, the first of many major battles in the Ghaznavid Empire’s expansion into the Indian subcontinent by Mahmud. Despite having 12,000 cavalrymen, 30,000 infantrymen and around 300 war elephants, the Shahi leader Jayapala lost to the 15,000-man strong cavalry led by Mahmud. Jayapala was so ashamed and humiliated by the defeat that he immolated himself in a funeral pyre.

Here you have the chance to add one of these compelling and beautiful coins to your collection. Don’t pass up this opportunity to explore the rich culture of this distant land and proud people. Quantities are limited, so click this A.D. 750–900 Jital Silver Shahi Dynasty Bull & Horseman coin to your cart today!