Delhi Sultan Muizz-ud-din Kaiqubad 1287-1290 AD Copper Paika Historical Coin

Delhi Sultanate, Mamluk Dynasty, Ruler: Muizz-ud-din Kaiqubad (1287–1290 CE), Denomination: Paika, Metal: Copper, Weight: 4.67 grams, Diameter: 15 mm, Reference: KM# 191, Tye# 412, About Very Fine, Scarce.

Obverse: Arabic Script “Al-sultan al-a’zam”.

Reverse: Arabic Script “mu’izz al-dunya wa’l din”.

Muizz-ud-din Kaiqubad was one of the last rulers of the Mamluk Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, ruling during a politically unstable period in the late 13th century. His reign marked the gradual decline of the Slave Dynasty before the rise of the Khalji rulers. The Delhi Sultanate during this era controlled major trade and administrative centers across northern India, requiring a stable coinage system for commerce and taxation. Kaiqubad’s bilingual coinage reflected the interaction between Persian Islamic administration and the local Indian population, combining Arabic and Nagari inscriptions on the same issue. Such coins are historically important because they demonstrate the transitional nature of early Sultanate rule, where indigenous traditions and Islamic political authority coexisted within the developing monetary framework of medieval India.

Coinage Note: This copper Paika belongs to the coinage of Muiz ud-Din Qaigabad (1287–1290 CE), issued as part of the Sultanate’s copper currency for everyday and local transactions. Alongside gold, silver, and billon denominations, copper Paika served the practical monetary needs of ordinary commerce. This specimen stands as a tangible historical reminder of Qaigabad’s brief reign, with such medieval coins surviving through buried finds, river discoveries, hoards, and generations of private ownership before reaching collectors today.