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1 Dam - Jagatprakash Malla
| Issuer | Bhaktapur Kingdom (Malla dynasty) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1644-1673 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.04 g |
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| Obverse description | Crude hammered field displaying a stylized Nepalese script legend arranged in a compact, interlocking design across the coin's surface. The inscription, reading 'Sri Sri Ja Ga' in abbreviated Devanagari characters, is rendered in bold relief typical of Malla-period dam coinage. Small pellets or globular ornaments are visible along the upper rim. The overall design is characteristic of the extremely small fractional silver coinage of the Bhaktapur kingdom, with irregular flan edges and uneven strike consistent with hand-hammering technique. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Irregular hammered field presenting a stylized Devanagari script design in bold raised relief, mirroring the compact interlocking letterform arrangement seen on the obverse, as is typical of bracteate or near-bracteate Malla dam coinage. The design shows abbreviated royal titulature rendered in a highly schematized manner, with the flan exhibiting rough, uneven edges and surface irregularities consistent with primitive hand-hammering production methods. The strike is shallow and partially flat in areas, reflecting the challenges of producing such extremely small fractional silver pieces. This type remains unlisted in both KM and RGV catalogues. |
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| Additional information |
Jagatprakash Malla ruled Bhaktapur during a period when the three Malla kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley — Bhaktapur, Patan, and Kathmandu — operated as rival city-states, each minting their own coinage in deliberate assertion of independence from one another. The dam was the smallest denomination in this system, and at 0.04 g it pushed the technical limits of hand-hammered silver production; consistent weight and shape at this scale were functionally impossible, which explains why no two survivors look alike.