Silver damma of Mohammed III / Mihira Deva, Amir of Multan, fl.861 CE (F/T M59)

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Three dots, stylized Brahmi "Sri" above, Brahmi letters "Ta" and "Pa" in fields, below Lillah Mohammed in crude arabic / Brahmi legend "Sri Mi Hi / Ra De Va". 13mm, 0.58 grams. Fishman/Todd "The Silver Damma" #M59.

Muhammad III, identified as Muhammad bin al-Qasim bin Munabbih, was an Arab ruler of Multan who seized power in the early 860s CE, likely around 861–864 CE, during the fragmentation of Abbasid control in Sindh. His coinage, slightly lighter than that of his predecessor Shibl, confirms he reigned shortly afterward and introduced a modest two percent depreciation. Probably an Arab adventurer or Caliphal officer who capitalized on local instability, Muhammad III established the Banu Munabbih dynasty, named after his grandfather, which ruled Multan for nearly a century. He was known for his bold takeover of the wealthy city and his controversial act of desecrating the Sun-temple’s idol without destroying it. Numismatic and historical evidence together place him as the father of Asad and grandfather of Munabbih bin Asad, situating his reign firmly in the 860s CE.

All coins of Mohammed III show the same Sanskrit legend in Sharada script on the obverse “Sri Mihira Deva”. This reference to Mihira on an Islamic coin is stunning. Sri Mihira Deva – “Holy God Mihira” or “Holy Mihiradeva” – is a Hindu deity, identical with the God Mithra or the Vedic Mitra, the Sun-god, particularly venerated in Multan where the important Sun-temple was built in dedication to this deity.  “Mihira Deva” was probably a biruda, a royal epithet, for Amir Muhammad III himself. This might have carried a meaning of “Shining like the sun” or something similar to “The Sun King”, certainly an attractive epithet for a ruler of Multan and in line with the long series of Hindu birudas seemingly used by the Amirs of Multan.

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