Shah Alam Bahadur Chinapatan Mint Silver Rupee Coin Madras Presidency

East India Company, Madras Presidency, INO Shah Alam Bahadur, (AH 1119-1124, 1707–1712 CE), Denomination: Rupee, Composition: Silver, Weight: 11.49 grams, Diameter: 25 mm, Mint: Chinapatan (Madras), AH 1122, RY 4, Star mint mark, Obv: Persian legend “Sikka Shah Alam Badshah Ghazi” 1122 AH, Rev: Persian legends “sana 4 julus” & “zarb Chinapatan”, mostly visible at the bottom, KM # A302, about extremely fine, rare.

This silver rupee was issued during the short reign of Shah Alam Bahadur (Bahadur Shah I), the son of Aurangzeb, at a time when Mughal authority was weakening and regional powers were gaining influence. The Chinapatan (Madras) mint operated under Mughal authority but within the growing sphere of British commercial control in South India. Coins from this mint are easily identified by the five-pointed star on the reverse, a characteristic feature absent on most North Indian Mughal rupees. These issues reflect the continued prestige of Mughal coinage standards, even as real political power was fragmenting across the subcontinent.