Ranajit Malla ruled Bhaktapur, the smallest of the three rival Newar kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley, until 1769 when Prithvi Narayan Shah's Gorkha forces completed their conquest of the valley. Bhaktapur fell last. The dam was the smallest fractional unit in the local coinage hierarchy, and at 0.13 g these pieces were struck under genuinely difficult conditions — the Bhaktapur mint lacked the resources of Kathmandu or Patan, and fabric quality across the series is accordingly inconsistent.
Ranajit Malla ruled Bhaktapur, the smallest of the three rival Newar kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley, until 1769 when Prithvi Narayan Shah's Gorkha forces completed their conquest of the valley. Bhaktapur fell last. The dam was the smallest fractional unit in the local coinage hierarchy, and at 0.13 g these pieces were struck under genuinely difficult conditions — the Bhaktapur mint lacked the resources of Kathmandu or Patan, and fabric quality across the series is accordingly inconsistent.