Bengal Sultanate Sikandar bin Ilyas Shah of Ilyas Shahi Dynasty Silver Tanka Firozabad Pandua mint Coin

Bengal Sultanate, Ilyas Shahi Dynasty, Abul Mujahid Sikandar Shah bin Ilyas Shah, r. 1358–1390 CE (AH 758–792), Denomination: 1 Tanka, Metal: Silver, Weight: 10.77 grams, Diameter: 30.57 mm, Mint: Firozabad (Pandua), Reference: G&G # B193, abou very fine, very scarce.

Obverse: Arabic Inscription, “Al-Wathiq bi-Ta’yid al-Rahman Abu’l-Mujahid Sikandar Shah bin Ilyas Shah al-Sultan” (central) Margin: Names of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr/Umar/Uthman/Ali.

Reverse: “Yamin Khalifat Allah Nasir Amir al-Mu’minin Ghaus al-Islam wa’l Muslimin Khallada Khilafatahu” Mint & Date: “Zarb Hazihi al-Sikka al-Mubarak fi al-Balad al-Mahrusah Firozabad Seba’un wa Sebami’at” 

Sikandar bin Ilyas Shah was one of the most powerful and long-reigning sultans of the Bengal Sultanate, ruling for more than three decades during the 14th century. Son of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, he consolidated the independence of Bengal after breaking away from Delhi Sultanate influence. His reign is remembered for political stability, administrative consolidation, and large-scale architectural patronage. The silver tanka issued in his name reflects a strong and confident monetary system, with high silver content and bold religious titulature emphasizing Islamic legitimacy. The mint city Firozabad (modern Pandua) served as the fortified capital of the sultanate and a major political and cultural center. The invocation of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs on the obverse margin highlights Sunni orthodoxy, while the grand honorifics on the reverse project the Sultan as protector of Islam and the Muslim community. Such tankas were widely circulated and symbolized Bengal’s economic strength and sovereign authority during Sikandar Shah’s prosperous reign.