Rajendra Bikram Shah ascended the Nepali throne as a minor in 1816 following the death of Girvan Yuddha, with actual power exercised by a succession of competing regent factions — the Thapa and Pande families rotating dominance through court intrigue and occasional violence. Coins issued under his name during the early reign reflect administrative continuity rather than royal initiative. The gold mohar denomination carried prestige weight in hill trade circuits connecting the Kathmandu Valley to Tibetan markets, where gold-silver exchange ratios diverged sharply from Indian plains values.
Rajendra Bikram Shah ascended the Nepali throne as a minor in 1816 following the death of Girvan Yuddha, with actual power exercised by a succession of competing regent factions — the Thapa and Pande families rotating dominance through court intrigue and occasional violence. Coins issued under his name during the early reign reflect administrative continuity rather than royal initiative. The gold mohar denomination carried prestige weight in hill trade circuits connecting the Kathmandu Valley to Tibetan markets, where gold-silver exchange ratios diverged sharply from Indian plains values.