Kaleemullah Shah – Bahmani Sultanate Copper 1 Gani Coin – Extremely Fine Condition

Kaleemullah Shah Bahmani, Sultanate of Bahmani, r. 1525-1527 AD, Denomination: 1 Gani, Composition: Copper, Weight 16.35 grm, Diameter 21.93 mm, References: Goron and Goenka, GG# BH161, extremely fine.

Obverse: ‘Al-Muwayyid bi Nasrillah Malikil Qawiyil Ghani’

Reverse: ‘Al-Sultan Kalimullah Mahmudul Bahmani’

Kaleemullah Shah was the last ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate, reigning from 1525 to 1527 AD. By this time, the once-mighty Bahmani Kingdom—founded in 1347 AD—had fragmented into five independent Deccan sultanates: Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. Kaleemullah Shah ruled only in name, serving as a puppet king under Amir Barid I, the powerful Barid Shahi noble of Bidar who controlled all state affairs. The real authority had shifted from the Bahmani throne to the Barid family, marking the end of centralized Bahmani power. Meanwhile, in North India, Babur’s Mughal Empire had just been established after the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, signaling a new political era. Kaleemullah Shah’s attempts to restore Bahmani authority failed, and he was eventually imprisoned by Amir Barid I. His copper 1 Gani coin represents one of the final numismatic traces of the Bahmani dynasty before it completely gave way to the Barid Shahi rule in Bidar.