Mughal emperor Shah Jahans rare dagger expected to fetch £500k at auction

A rare gold-encrusted dagger of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the world famous monument Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife, is expected to fetch 500,000 pounds when it goes under the hammer on April 10.

London, Apr 8 : A rare gold-encrusted dagger of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the world famous monument Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife, is expected to fetch 500,000 pounds when it goes under the hammer on April 10.

Once belonging to Shah Jahan, who ruled in India from 1628 to 1658, the dagger, will be auctioned at Bonhams in London.

Inscriptions on the back of the blade include Shah Jahan's official titles, date and place of birth, and an "honorific parasol" -- an ancient pan-Asian symbol of divinity of royalty, according to Bonhams auction house, reports Times Online.

The dagger is part of the collection of Islamic and Indian art and artefacts of the late textile businessman Jacques Desenfans.

Shah Jahan, who is said to have had a love for beautiful objects, built the majestic mausoleum as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz Mahal whose death during the birth of their 14th child devastated the ruler.

ANI