Extremely Fine with Lusters, Unique.

A similar rupee was published by the late Nicholas Rhodes in the supplement to ONS 161 ("Some New Silver Coins of Fateh Shah of Garhwal") which so far had remained unique. However, it had not been possible at the time to read the full legends, particularly the couplet on the obverse. This coin is therefore a welcome addition to our knowledge of the coinage of Fateh Shah of Garhwal. Fateh Shah succeeded his grandfather in 1665, after his father Medini Shah died in exile. The kingdom of Garhwal had been a vassal of the Mughals and Fateh Shah could succeed only with Aurangzeb's approval. But by late 1680's Fateh Shah took advantage of the fact that the Emperor had been tied in long campaigns against the Marathas in the Deccan, and emerged as a very powerful ruler. He had been an ally of other resurgent leaders like the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, but local politics meant they also had a fight (1688). Fateh Shah was a great patron of Art and literature. Like Akbar, he is said to have patronized 'Navaratnas' at his court. The zenith of Fateh Shah's power came in 1692 when he attacked Saharanpur in the plains. He was repelled with great difficulty by Sayyad Ali, the Mughal commander. But he managed to establish a town named 'Fatehpur' in the plains. Around the same time, he expanded his kingdom into Sirmur and launched an expedition into Tibet. The dates on this coin are extremely significant because they mark the year of its issue as 1692-93, exactly in the years which saw Fateh Shah's conquests. The striking of Mughal style coins, in his own name, was an act of great defiance. It can be viewed as a direct affront to Aurangzeb and an instrument or conscious demonstration of declaring independence by Fateh Shah. The reference to the grace of Badrinath ("Shri Badrinath Sahai") the Hindu Shaiva 'Jyotirlinga' shrine of which Fateh Shah was a great devotee is of immense significance when viewed against this backdrop.