Delhi: Villager unearths Mughal-era coins from his land

NEW DELHI: A resident of Jaunti village in Kanjhawala tehsil of Northwest Delhi district has stumbled upon a hoard of ‘Mughal-era’ metal coins during excavation on his land. 

The coins were discovered a few days ago but the matter was brought to the notice of the area sub-divisional magistrate only on Monday.

According to officials, the recovered coins belong to the period of fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

“Coins dating to Shah Jahan’s era found by a local during excavation of his land in Kanjhawala tehsil and verified by ex-ASI area historian! Various structures from the Mughal era exist here including in Jaunti Shikargarh. The history buff in me is happily intrigued,” said Saumya Sharma, sub-divisional magistrate of Kanjhawala. 

The antique coins may soon be sent to an expert agency like Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for examination and also to carry out a study to ‘decipher the coins’.  

The officials aware of the development refused to divulge further details.  

Jaunti village, located on Delhi-Haryana border, is known for a 17th century heritage site — a Shikargah (hunting lodge) built by Shah Jahan.  

The village was also the epicentre of the Green Revolution in 1960s.

The archaeology department of Delhi government had plans to restore the historical structure in 2018, however, the proposal is still on the papers. 

An official of the ASI said that the agency is not aware of such development. 

In September 2018, the agency had found 254 copper coins during the conservation of Khirki Masjid, a 14th-century mosque in South Delhi.

The coins were buried just 20cm below ground of the historic Khirki mosque.