Manadeva I is the earliest Licchavi ruler attested by firm epigraphic evidence — his Changu Narayan pillar inscription, dated to around 464 CE, is one of the oldest Sanskrit stone inscriptions found in Nepal. Whether this coinage was struck by that same Manadeva or a later ruler of the same name remains genuinely contested among specialists. Iron coinage of this type is exceptionally unusual for the subcontinent; most contemporary issuers worked in copper or billon, making the alloy choice here more diagnostic than the type itself.
Manadeva I is the earliest Licchavi ruler attested by firm epigraphic evidence — his Changu Narayan pillar inscription, dated to around 464 CE, is one of the oldest Sanskrit stone inscriptions found in Nepal. Whether this coinage was struck by that same Manadeva or a later ruler of the same name remains genuinely contested among specialists. Iron coinage of this type is exceptionally unusual for the subcontinent; most contemporary issuers worked in copper or billon, making the alloy choice here more diagnostic than the type itself.