Catalog
1 Dam - Bhupalendra Malla
| Issuer | Kathmandu Kingdom (Malla dynasty) |
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| Year | 1687-1700 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing a two-line Nagari legend reading 'Sri Bhu / pale', the characters rendered in bold relief in the Ranjana-influenced Devanagari script characteristic of late Malla-period coinage. The inscription occupies the majority of the flan, with the legend arranged horizontally across the coin's face. The irregular, hand-cut flan exhibits the typical characteristics of hammered production, with slightly uneven edges and variable surface texture. No border or decorative devices are present, the entire design being devoted to the royal titular inscription. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a Nagari legend in bold hammered relief, similar in style to the obverse, with characters distributed across the flan in a manner consistent with late seventeenth-century Malla dam coinage. The design, while described as blank in some references, exhibits faint remnants of inscription or device consistent with the heavily worn and weakly struck nature of this diminutive denomination. The irregular flan edges and rough surface are characteristic of the hand-hammered production technique employed at the Kathmandu mint during this period. |
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| Additional information |
The Dam was the smallest denomination in the Malla monetary system, and at roughly a twentieth of a Mohar it served the most granular transactions in the Kathmandu Valley's bazaar economy. Bhupalendra Malla ruled Kathmandu from 1687 until his death in 1700, a reign defined by intensifying rivalry with the neighboring Malla kingdoms of Patan and Bhaktapur — a fragmentation that would, within decades, leave all three valleys vulnerable to Prithvi Narayan Shah's conquest of 1768.
Surviving pieces in any condition are genuinely scarce; the combination of minimal silver content and active circulation ensured most were lost, melted, or simply worn to illegibility.