Very Fine, Very Rare.

Nadir Shah invaded India in 1739 and defeated the Mughal army at the Battle of Karnal on 13 February 1739 and took Muhammad Shah, the Mughal emperor as captive, occupying Delhi in March 1739. While in Delhi, rumor broke out that the emperor had been killed byNadir and some Indian officers attacked Nadir's troops. This led to Nadir's displeasure and he retaliated by ordering a massacre on 22nd March 1739. This wreaked havoc on the city leading to thousands of its inhabitants being butchered by the Iranians. In its wake Nadir Shah also proclaimed himself the emperor at Delhi, only to humiliate Muhammad Shah, who sought mercy by offering a vast booty to Nadir, including famed treasures like the Kohinoor diamond and the 'Peacock Throne'. The terror caused by Nadir in Delhi spread quickly to other parts of India. Coins were struck in his name from places far-off from Delhi like Ahmadabad, Murshidabad and Banaras. They all represent a very transient issue and are exceedingly rare. The Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I launched a campaign to relieve the Mughals but Nadir decided to return to Iran with his plunder long before any Maratha help for the Mughals could arrive.