Catalog
1 Mohar - Mahindra Simha
| Issuer | Kathmandu Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 1715 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 5.4 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central circular field containing a bold Ranjana script legend arranged in a cruciform or multi-line pattern across the inner disk, conveying the royal titulature or invocation associated with King Mahindra Simha of Kathmandu. The surrounding annular zone is filled with a dense floral and cloud-scroll decorative border composed of large stylized petals or foliate cartouches radiating outward from the central circle, characteristic of Nepalese Malla-period coinage aesthetics. The outermost rim displays a fine beaded border consistent with the hammered production method. The reverse composition is more openly decorative than the obverse, with the vegetal border motifs occupying a greater proportion of the field. The overall design reflects the distinct artistic tradition of the Kathmandu Valley mint during the reign of the Malla dynasty in the early eighteenth century. |
| Reverse script | Ranjana |
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| Additional information |
Mahindra Simha ruled Kathmandu for only a few years in the early eighteenth century before the valley's three rival kingdoms — Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur — were unified by force under Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768. Coins from this period reflect the last generations of independent Newar royal authority, each of the three kingdoms maintaining its own mint and its own coinage right up to conquest.
The mohar was the primary silver denomination of the Kathmandu mint throughout this era, struck to a weight standard that had remained broadly consistent for over a century prior.