42 The Initial Coinage of Bengal. [No. 1 ; 



logy in the use of cjlkLJij the (reigning) Sultan, yet after his own 

 proper name he styles himself merely cullaJ-w, and seemingly desired 

 to strengthen his position by the insertion of the regal titles of his 

 father and grandfather ; though there is so far room for questioning 

 this supposition in the fact -that the father had fallen short of supreme 

 power, and was only doubtfully authorized to call himself Sultan, 

 while in strictness the Imperial Balban should have been designated 

 the Sultan (past regnant) ; but on the other hand, Nasir-ud-din had 

 been so long virtually a king in the south, that the complimentary 

 use of the term was quite within heraldic licence ; and it is to be 

 remarked, that a similar omission of the supreme prefix occurs in 

 Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah's coin (No. 1), which, if correctly attri- 

 buted, would prove the legitimacy* of the optional use of one or the 

 other form. 



These are avowedly mere speculations ; but when it is considered 

 how much attention was paid in India, in those days, to every vary- 

 ing shade and degree of honorary rank, how much importance was 

 attached to even the colours of official umbrellas,! and other, to us, 

 minor observances, it cannot but be felt that these subordinate indica- 

 tions may chance to prove of material aid in illustrating doubtful 

 interpretations. 



Kai Kaiis. 



No. 3. 



Lakhnauti, a.h. " 691, 693, "J and 694-695. 



Silver. Size, vii. Weight, 168 grs. Very rare. Plate I. fig. 2. 

 Type, as in the previous coins. 



* The Bengal Mints, after the initial uncertainty, soon settle themselves down 

 to follow the established Dehli models. In the latter, it will be seen, o T eat care 

 was taken by all those sovereigns who could boast of a Royal descent^ to define 

 the face upon their coins. Bahrain Shah, Masdud Shah, Nasir-ud-din 'Mahmud 

 bin Altamsh, and Ibrahim bin Firuz all entitle themselves ,olkiJLJ| . J Bal- 

 ban, Kai Kubad, Jalal-ud-din Firuz, and the great Ala-ud-din Muhammad Shah 

 have to be content with their own self-achieved joliaJUJf 



t °^ 3 t^j <-** j ^tittf j^ «*~>j Minhaj ul-Siraj, p, 263 j 

 ^*>k j*»" _j^j cJj'^ f^'l difc to, p. 181, a.h. 625. 



